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 As summer ended we experienced a resurgence in polarity politics. The vitriolic attacks against President Obama and his health care reform demonstrate the deep seated fears and anger that simmer in too many of us. Stirred by inflammatory rhetoric and downright lies of right wing talk radio, ordinary people get riled up and act out of their worst instincts.The more reactionary element within the Roman Catholic Church has intensified. There is a Vatican Visitation of US women religious underway prompted by no clear reason. There is also a doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious investigating how the conference promotes the official church's teachings regarding women's ordination, homosexuality and the belief that salvation comes only through the Roman Catholic Church. The Latin Mass is returning in some places and priests are choosing to say the liturgy with their backs to the people. A minority of US Bishops protested President Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame in ways that were barely civil.Such actions are prompted by and cater to the small minority among us. Many more people are living their lives somewhere in the middle and are open to new ways of understanding the kind of changes that are happening. Actions which polarize and generate fear are not the ones that will move us forward toward a more loving and non-violent world.Since 2003 more than 300 participants in the Engaging Impasse: Circles of Contemplation and Dialogue® have begun to imagine new ways of being and doing so as to move beyond either/or ways of thinking and to approach the challenges of our lives from a contemplative perspective. We continue to explore these vital questions: How can we keep 'taking a long loving look at the real' and acting and being in new ways? How can we communicate with each other? How can we invite each other into a transformation of consciousness?This historical moment requires the ongoing involvement of all the members of the Engaging Impasse community and I hope the new reflections will continue to inspire and nurture your commitment. And the challenges of this moment require the engagement of many more of us. So if you are a new visitor to this website I invite you to read the offerings and consider joining in the important work of the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue (ICCD).Invitation to Engaging Impasse Circles If what you read resonates with you and you would like to receive an invitation to the next round of ICCD's foundational program, Engaging Impasse: Circles of Contemplation and Dialogue®, please send your name and mailing address to Marianne Gaynor, IHM at mgaynor@ihmsisters.org.New ICCD programs ICCD will be coming to New York and Pennsylvania in 2010.Click here to read about the programs and the dates. Training Seminar As with these new ICCD programs the need to make the insights of Engaging Impasse: Circles of Contemplation and Dialogue® more accessible to a variety of persons at the local level prompted the first Training Seminar in the methodology of the Engaging Impasse Circles. The Training Seminar took place in August, 2009. A report can be found under Circles Gathering Updates.Click here to read about this exciting event. Spanish and French Translations In 2009 and 2010 I have had the opportunity to design and implement a congregational reflection process for the various provinces of the Sisters of Providence of Montreal, Canada, an international community. As an outgrowth of that process they have translated several of the reflections from this site into Spanish and French. These are now available for your use.Click on Contemplation, Dialogue, Impasse, and Related Topics to read these translations. Book Club In “To See More Slowly” Mary Jo Klick opens up Pat Kozak's reflection from Crucible for Change: Engaging Impasse through Communal Contemplation and Dialogue.Click here to read that reflection. New Reflection In the Seeing through the Impasse section Margaret O'Gorman, FSM reflects on her experience in the Engaging Impasse Circle process and how it offers her “Hope in Times of Impasse.”Circle Gatherings Updates - A Gallery of Pictures Click here to see pictures from our most recent Circles. These notes from the ICCD President and the website are updated on a regular basis to keep you informed of what is happening and how you can extend the work of Engaging Impasse. |
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  I want to welcome all who have entered this website. As you read Constance Fitzgerald’s quote and reflect on the picture of our planet on our home page, you can tell that this website is about some of the major shifts we are experiencing in our world today and how these shifts are affecting those of us whose vision is one of transformation and change. This website is about engaging impasse through communal contemplation and dialogue. It primarily serves the project: Engaging Impasse: Circles of Contemplation and Dialogue®. This project is convening persons who have experienced impasse in their work for transformation either within society or within the Church who are willing to engage that experience through a process of communal contemplation and dialogue. The Circle participants gather three times over a period of months or for a one-time eight-day gathering to see what might emerge as they enter the experience of impasse more deeply and surrender it to the Spirit within.Impasse might not be a familiar word for you. But see if the following questions resonate with you. As you reflect on your life on this planet do you experience a sense of powerlessness, a feeling that things have gotten so complex that you don't have the answers anymore? Do you feel a sense of futility as you continue your work of transformation, a realization that all the ways you know for effecting change and influencing others are not enough--they are not adequate--they just aren't working? Do you experience a low-grade anger or a grief that never leaves you?That is an experience of impasse. Yet, you continue to believe that as a citizen of this planet you must do something about the situation in which you find yourself.Those of us participating in the project believe that God is profoundly present, even if hidden, in the darkness and pain of the impasse. That is why we are engaging in a process that opens ourselves to the divine energy that may spark new imagination and new ways of being and acting.Over 300 people have participated in the Circles. What is becoming clear is that this experience invites one to a transformation of consciousness within a communal setting. It prepares persons to approach the impasse in their lives in new and creative ways.How to Use this Website This site first went up in November, 2002 and has been added to throughout the years. If you resonate with what you have read so far I invite you to use this website. If this is your first visit I suggest that you read the reflection pages within the major topic entries – Contemplation, Impasse and Dialogue -- in sequence as they build upon each other and draw the connections among them. These provide some understanding as to the way these concepts are understood within the project. I have chosen to write the reflections on the topics from my perspective. When you read about me under, “Who We Are”, you will find that I have spent many years working for social justice and the transformation of church and society. I have lectured widely on a variety of related topics. I have chosen to make accessible some of my work. Although it is mine it represents the growing understanding of many scholars and activists throughout our globe. I want to acknowledge that my insights and work reflect the richness of their thought and experience as well as my own.The section entitled ”Related Topics” deals with the societal context, the ecclesial context, globalization, and the new cosmology. They describe trends, current realities that influence the work for transformation and impact the experience of impasse. It may appear that these are being dealt with separately; however, the project and its design reflect the interconnection of these realities. I encourage you to read all the sections over a period of time. You will see cross references and many of the suggested resources address the interconnections. A special feature is the “Book Club.” Periodically, we post excerpts and questions for reflection from the book, Crucible for Change: Engaging Impasse through Communal Contemplation and Dialogue. I hope this will help make the project come alive for those of you who are not part of the Circles.The newest section “Seeing Through the Impasse” began in Winter, 2008. These periodic reflections evolve from the Circle experience. They provide an opportunity to integrate what is happening in the Circles with some of the other movements for transformation. The hope is that this section will nurture the ongoing transformation that is needed today.I hope you will find here a place for contemplation as each page begins with artwork and poetry. Come often and let me know what you are learning and what is attracting you from our common future. Contact the project at circles@engagingimpasse.org or at nsylvester@aol.com.Nancy Sylvester, IHM President, Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue Return to Top Written by Nancy Sylvester, IHM © Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue 2003-2009 Reprint with permission circles@engagingimpasse.org |
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