CLINTON — “For most of us living in a country like the United States, issues related to the negative use of power, such as control or repression, have come to define our way of being.
But power is more than a force preventing us from doing something. It’s also a force for creativity and wisdom,” said Sister Mary Smith, OSF. She is retreat minister at The Canticle, home of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, and co-coordinator of the Clinton Franciscan Center for Active Nonviolence and Peacemaking.
“We are very pleased to invite our neighbors and friends to join us the weekend of March 12-13 for a retreat experience with Franciscan Friar Michael Crosby, who will show us how the creative energy of power can heal and create healthy relationships, marriages and families, as well as successful organizations such as corporations, churches and even nations,” she said.
The weekend retreat at The Canticle, 841 13th Ave. N., Clinton, is titled “Choosing Compassion in Troubled Times: New Perspectives on the Use of Power.” It is open to the public. Saturday sessions will run from 9:30 am through 4 p.m. Sunday sessions are from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Cost is $50. Meals are included. Call (563) 242-7611 to register. Pre-registration is required.
Crosby has authored 17 books, countless articles and speeches, and six audiovisual productions on Franciscan spirituality for today’s world. His writings explore war, indifference and the destructive power of hate.
He lives in community with other friars in a downtown Milwaukee parish that serves the urban poor, homeless and marginalized.
