Forthcoming events at Whirlow Spirituality Centre
Join our weekly service in the chapel, overseen by volunteer ministers from various Christian denominations
Space to be before God; to relax, reflect and pray and so to renew your spiritual resources. These days are limited to ten people onsite but may be blended (online and onsite.) on occasions.
Opportunity to practise, share and learn.
Many are drawn to silent prayer, meditation, centering prayer, contemplation ... for that purpose, we run Praying Without Words via Zoom each month.
Space to Be is a weekly opportunity to meditate in silence. It takes place in the chapel of the Holy Spirit.
Come prepared to listen, share and learn from each other as we consider topics which interest us as spiritual accompaniers.
Contemplative Dialogue is designed to facilitate a non-threatening, ‘safe place’ for open sharing and discussion. The focus is on listening to ourselves and others, rather than formulating a response to what is being said.
Space to Reflect is a reflective service led by members of the Whirlow community.
A time of Reflective Worship using early monastic music (plainsong) and music from Taizé. There will be the opportunity to sing together if you wish but most of the time will be spent listening and reflecting.
Sunday 21st September 7pm – 7.45pm. No charge or need to book
Our senses are the pathway to experiencing connection to the world. By developing our sensitivity to listening, seeing and whole body sensation we can more deeply connect with our spiritual essence, our companions and nature.
We are delighted to be holding The Whirlow Autumn Retreat at Ampleforth Abbey this October.
Christmas can be a difficult time, for Christians, for those of other faiths and for those with none. It is a time that can magnify emotions: both joy and sadness can feel more intense. This ‘Blue Christmas’ service on the longest night (solstice) provides a space for our memories and emotions to be held and acknowledged rather than dismissed or hidden.
A weekend retreat that will provide an opportunity to slow down, step back from everyday life and reconnect with ourselves at a deeper level. We will focus on listening inwardly to our true selves and expressing ourselves outwardly within a Circle of Trust®
Following in the steps of Jesus’ friends and disciples we will gather early in our garden and light a new fire and first candle of Easter in celebration of the resurrection.
Join us in the Chapel on Good Friday at 10am as we remember together the events that took place in Jerusalem on that first Good Friday. We will use the Seiger Koder paintings displayed in the Chapel to prompt our reflections. There will also be times of silence and prayer.
On Maundy Thursday evening you are invited to join us as we share a simple meal, retell the story of the final night of Jesus’ earthly life, reflect on its meaning for us today and finally join in a silent vigil as we watch and pray together.
Led by Mark Brown and Alison Richards: a day to be quiet and reflect at the Spirituality Centre. We will use scripture and creative resources to explore the promises God gives that bring genuine life and hope.
An evening of sacred music by composers from the 16th to 21st Century expressing lament and delight interspersed with readings from poets and writers that complement these themes
Seeing the World Aright – reflections in Lent
Our five sessions of reflection in Lent will use some of the writings of Thomas Traherne, the 17th Century Anglican clergyman, poet and mystic. A contemporary of John Donne and George Herbert, Traherne’s writings remained relatively unknown until the 20th Century. We will be drawing on writings contained in the collection Centuries of Meditations, and handouts will be provided of all the material that we use.
A series of four evening sessions, join us to find out more about John Philip Newell’s book The Great Search. Newell writes: “A new vision of reality is trying to be born. Earth and humanity need healing”.
This will be an opportunity to celebrate and draw strength and encouragement from the gift of our shared faith. In these troubled and turbulent times, we can take heart from the endurance of that faith and recognise our inter-connectedness and shared humanity.
Join us for a time of reflection and fellowship as we mark the turn of the year. Together we will prayerfully reflect on 2024 and look forward with hope to the coming year.
Join us for a Christmas Day reflective communion service at 9.45am in the chapel. You are welcome to arrive from 9.30am and join others in silence before the service begins. Our communion services allow time and space for reflection and the formal liturgy tends to be kept short.
Join us this Christmas Eve to sing or listen to carols together and enjoy the quiet space of our beautiful, candlelit chapel.
As we journey through Advent, this day will be an opportunity to reflect on the theme of wondering and wandering through the medium of stitching a snippet roll.
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Join us for this time of prayer and contemplation: we will be immersed in the spirit of Advent which is so often lost in our modern day rush to Christmas.
The month before Christmas can easily become a blur of shopping, visiting, parties and travel. We invite you to join us in a day of quiet preparation as we slow down and reflect on the themes of hope, salvation, compassion and tenderness.
You are invited to join us for a fun afternoon crafting; creating simple journals / journal cards, pockets and tags - all using recycled materials.
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In these four sessions Alison Richards will introduce each of the four Quaker testimonies and invite exploration of how we experience these in our inner life and personal spiritual practice and how we live them in our outward facing relationships with our communities and the world.
If you have always wanted to enjoy a Whirlow Retreat but the travel has stopped you, then this non-residential weekend might be the one for you!
A short, reflective, service of remembrance led by palliative care Chaplain Jo Hird, followed by refreshments. Free. All welcome.
‘Entering the Round Zion of the Water Bead’ a day of poetic exploration with Adrian Scott exploring the spiritual and lyrical vision of the poet Dylan Thomas.
The evening will be a time of quiet reflection, where through the poems, songs, and moments of stillness, we will make space to encounter the hope and healing that God offers us.
Join us for a time of reflective worship leading into a simple communion as we turn from summer into autumn. What might be written in a letter from autumn to you?
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Subsidised by the Diocese of Sheffield, these evenings are for recognised spiritual accompaniers only, whether on the Sheffield list or not.
We’d love to have as many as possible join us after Communion on the 10th September to help us get the Centre spick and span.
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Would you enjoy a silent contemplative evening walk in the company of others in the countryside around Whirlow Spirituality Centre to connect with the natural world at the end of the day?
Join us for an afternoon of slow hand stitching; a practice that's about the journey, not the destination, where imperfections are celebrated, and where creativity may blossom in the unhurried pace of needlework.
These evenings in the company of Poet, Podcaster and Spiritual Director Adrian Scott will be courageous explorations of the nature of the masculine psyche.
Led by Chris Ellis, a guided quiet day with an introduction to the meaning and value of icons in aiding prayer. There will be plenty of time for personal reflection and prayer, together with an exploration of what holiness might look like.
We are delighted to announce that the Whirlow May Retreat will be held at Wydale Hall, following the sad closure of St Oswald’s.
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Following in the steps of Jesus’ friends and disciples we will gather early in our garden and light a new fire and first candle of Easter in celebration of the resurrection.
