“Praying the Divine Office is a rich spiritual exercise that draws believers into an encounter with their Creator and creates resonance with Christians of all times who have submitted to the wisdom of the church by engaging in endless prayer and ceaseless song.”
Dr. Clayton J. Schmit, Praying the Hours in Ordinary Life.
The Lenten season is upon us.
Growing up as a protestant on the west coast I was never introduced to Lent as a season to observe sacrifice and moderation, repentance and spiritual discipline. In fact it wasn’t till I was a college kid that I even knew what Ash Wednesday even was. At the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, I remember sitting at my desk before a class was about to begin one rainy Wednesday morning, when I noticed a friend walk in with a smudge of black on her forehead. She sat down next to me, and to be polite I leaned forward, motioned to my brow and told her – “You’ve got a little something right here…” Thankfully, I’ve discovered a lot since then.
If you’re like me, you are someone who recognizes the beauty and importance in observing seasons like Advent and Lent, because preparation is important. We prepare for tests, dates, trips, even a good meal we plan on making, being absolutely sure all the ingredients we will need are only an arm’s length away to use when we need them. We prepare in order to be ready.
As if to say, “Yeah, you’re going to need to get ready for this one!” – Lent prepare us by pointing the way to the main event that stands ahead of us. We shouldn’t observe Lent because we have to. Rather, we should observe Lent because we want to. We want to prepare our hearts and our minds for the main event – for the bittersweetness of Good Friday and for the glorious new beginning of Easter, because when they arrive we want to be able to worship and see through prepared insight that can only comes through time and devotion – through sacrifice and discipline. As we all know – The person who’s trained for their marathon is going to enjoy it a whole lot more come race day than the person who kept losing focus, allowing life’s business to push the discipline of training to the back burner.
Calvin Crest’s Spring Prayer retreat is a weekend dedicated to Lent in observing the eight separate divine offices of prayer through twenty-four hours of fasting. The Gospels relate the pivotal events of Jesus’ last hours as taking place upon the divine offices – (Vespers, Compline, “The Night Watch” Vigils, and “Cock Crow” or Lauds, Prime, Terce, the “sixth hour” Sext, and “the Ninth Hour” None) – and so to figuratively climb inside of the story, we will follow those events detailed in the hours, experience the hunger of fasting in corporate worship and uniquely prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection later to come on Easter Sunday. You are invited to not allow the business of life to put an event like this on the backburner! Come up to Calvin Crest and make preparation to celebrate the greatest event in all of human history.
Details
Last day to register:
Friday, March 28, 2014
Check In
5-7pm in the Office, Friday, April 4, 2014
Departure
10am Sunday, April 6, 2014
Accommodations and Fees
Prices are per person and include a $75 Non-Refundable Deposit.
Mountain View Cabin Suites $99/person:
There are 7 cabins in the Mountain View housing area with 24 cabin-suites available. Each cabin-suite has two bunk beds, is carpeted and has a private bath. Doors between two rooms can be locked for privacy or opened to allow groups of 8 people to room together. Our newest cabin is handicapped accessible and has two suites, with 4 bunk beds in each suite. Guests provide their own bed and bath linens.
Housing is assigned on a first come, first served basis. Roommates may be requested. Single Occupancy is not available.
Questions?
Please call Registration at (559) 683-4450 ext 205
Registration Instructions
Follow these step-by-step instructions for a smooth online registration! If you have any questions, please call the office at (559) 683-4450. We would be happy to assist you.
Register Online1. If you and/or anyone in your immediate family has previously enrolled online for a retreat, conference, or camp at Calvin Crest click the button above.
- Enter the email address you originally provided
- Enter your password
- If you have forgotten your password, hit “What’s my password” for a temporary password to be sent to your email
- Follow the instructions on the Dashboard
2. If this is you and/or your immediate family’s first time enrolling online for a retreat, conference, or camp, click here.
- Enter your information in the Parent #1 section and spouse’s (if applicable) information in the Parent #2 section.
- Enter the camper’s information in the Camper Information section
- If you are the camper, simply re-enter your information in the Camper Information section
- If you would like to add a camper, simply click “add another camper” underneath the Camper Information section
- Once you click “Continue to enrollment options”, a temporary password is sent to your email. Use this password to re-login, or simply click the My Account tab to change your password
- To register for a camp, click “Online Enrollment”, then “Enrollment Form for Camper’s Name”
A Non-Refundable Deposit (per camper) is required to make your reservation. You may pay by credit card at the time of enrollment or send a check made payable to “Calvin Crest”. Please list your campers name and the session they are registering for on the check.