Drumalis keeps alive ‘care for the earth’ ministry

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    Drumalis pic 1Drumalis Retreat and Conference Centre is committed to keeping alive ‘care for the earth’ in ministry.Spirituality, ecumenism and ecology are at the heart of all the programmes and activities held in this beautiful, ancient site at the gateway to the Antrim coast.
    The centre’s Drumalis Environment Group works to raise awareness and encourage action for a sustainable future on planet earth. The commitment is:

    • to tell the Universe Story
    • to honour the web of life, recognising the interconnectedness of all things
    • to see the whole of creation as sacred and as a revelation of the divine and to promote an attitude of reverence
    • to accept our place as humans within the whole community of life
    • to play our part in the unfolding of the universe by using our creativity and imagination to bring about an alternative to the dominant paradigm of consumerism which is causing climate change and depletion of the earth’s resources
    • to establish the Earth Room as a resource centre of books, DVDs, information on ecology etc.

    These aims are carried out by organising events, retreats, workshops, conferences, reflection days, through networking with other groups nation-wide who are working in the same area of interest, and by keeping ourselves up-to-date with global developments.Drumalis pic 2

    Garden
    Remembering the line of the poem that “one is nearer God’s heart in the garden than anywhere else on earth”, the gardens and grounds of Drumalis are the inspiration for much of the prayerful life of Drumalis. The recently restored Rose Garden is a place of prayer and pilgrimage. Wandering in the woodland or by the sea is part of the journey of reflection that Drumalis offers.
    Retreats
    Each year a Creation-centred retreat is offered, drawing on the beauty of the surroundings. Themes for retreats in recent years have been The Breath of Life, The Pale Blue Dot, Passion for the Earth, All is Gift and Changing the World from the Inside Out.

    The next retreat – scheduled for July 13-18 2010 – is entitled The Other Way Round. This retreat will offer an opportunity to ponder some of the great changes that are required of us if we are to go forward into the future as “a single sacred community”. Facing up to the challenge of changing our mindsets and unexamined assumptions about our place within the community of life calls for deep conversion of heart.

    Spring conferences
    In the spring of 1998, during a visit to Drumalis by one of the ecological prophets of our day, Miriam Therese MacGillis, the programmes for RE Inhabiting the Earth were launched. These were annual spring conferences exploring themes like Well-Being, Slow is Beautiful, Foodwise and New Story.

    These conferences have been well supported nation-wide and through them a network of ecological connections have been maintained. One of these, Sceal na Cruinne, originally a network of religious women and now opened up to all, meets four times a year in the four different provinces of Ireland. These groups keep the fire of environmental concern burning across Ireland and encourage local groups to be active and practical in their lives and work.

    The 2010 Spring Conference will bring to the North East, for the first time, the symposium Be The Change. The hope is that something will be awakened in the participants to urge them into action towards an ecologically sustainable, socially just and spiritually fulfilling life on planet earth.

    Thomas Berry, another environmental prophet of our day, and a Passionate priest, has written about the physical degradation of the natural world through industrialisation, pollution and extinction of species etc. For him, there is a direct connection between this desolation of the earth and a “loss of soul” on the part of humans – a deadening of human sensitivity and the capacity for wonder.

    “Without the soaring birds, without the great forests, the free flowing steams, the sight of the clouds by day, and the stars by night, we become impoverished in all that makes us human.” – Thomas Berry

    We believe that Drumalis is a place where the healing from this impoverishment can happen. It is a sacred place, a place of healing for those who visit or participate in its activities.

    Passion for the Earth
    Drumalis is run by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion and, for them, the Passionist spirit embraces a passion for the earth. Drumalis is one of the places where they can be attentive to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor and respond with compassion, practicality and creativity.