The primary resource for developing our spiritual life is by living "the life" and by experimentation, with guidance, working out a spiritual discipline that fits your unique personality and temperament.
The starting place for growth is by grounding yourself in a pattern of frequent participation in the Eucharist. You can't understand it or be fed by it if you stand outside looking in. Come with all your hopes and doubts.
There are several regular offerings each year. Please see the rector if you need assistance to cover the cost of a book or materials related to the course.
Anglican Spiritual Practices
A five-session orientation to spiritual practice with attention to:
This program is useful for people new to the Episcopal Church as well as long-term members wanting to re-explore their spiritual practices.
It may be useful to complete this offering as a prelude to individual or group spiritual direction.
This program can be done again and again. The particular exercises change each year. This allows people to use it as both an orientation to spiritual practice and as a refresher program.
Cost: The cost of a book used in the program is $14. You will also be asked to contribute toward the cost of food.
Personality and Spiritual Life
A two-session program offered yearly. This involves taking two personality instruments (MBTI and FIRO-B) and exploring each in relation to your spiritual life. If you are unable to cover that cost the parish may have funds available to assist you.
Our assumption is that a person's spiritual life is directly related to personality and temperament. Spiritual practices that fit one person may not be useful for another person. For example, approaches to prayer that easily nurture an extravert are likely to be more challenging for an introvert.
Cost: You will be asked to cover the cost of taking the instruments, booklets and handouts, roughly $50. You will also be asked to contribute toward the cost of food.
Eucharistic Practices
Offered two or three times each year after the Sunday Eucharist. This is a session of about 1½ hours in which there is an experiential walk-through of the Holy Eucharist. People are invited to try out devotional behaviors commonly used as part of the Liturgy. The objective of the session is to assist members, as well as those new to the parish, to become more proficient and at-ease in how they participate.
There are related booklets available, without charge, in the rear of the church.
Cost: none
Other Occasional Offerings
In the course of the year there are likely to be other opportunities that may be useful in shaping your spiritual life. Some will be directly connected as in offerings related to prayer life or quiet days; others will serve by providing a broader background for Christian life as in many of the Sunday formation programs. From time to time we may offer programs that rise out of Trinity's life — for those who live alone; for people of the city (the Soul of Seattle); art and spirituality.
These groups will be formed based on interest. From time to time the congregation will be asked about interest in such groups. When there are enough people, a group will be formed
Creating a Rule of Life (a basic offering): This is a group that may meet two or three times to explore various ways of creating and sustaining a Rule of Life (an intentional spiritual discipline).
Exploring Your Spiritual Life (a basic offering): There are three sessions. In each session the leader takes the group through a structured exercise. For example, one might be having you draw and share what's called a spiritual life-line representing your relationship with Christ and the People of God over time. Another might be an exercise in which you are helped to consider the dynamics of solitude and loneliness, hospitality and hostility, and prayer and illusion.
Mutual Spiritual Guidance (an intermediate program): For people with a fairly effective, settled spiritual disciple (Rule of Life). This is done in a small group, no larger than four plus the leader. You bring what you want to explore in your spiritual life. The leader provides a structured process for the exploration. This is an opportunity to explore your spiritual life with others. On occasion, spiritual friendships may emerge for some in the group that continue on beyond the program. This program has three sessions of 2–2½ hours each.
Mutual Spiritual Guidance (a more advanced program): For people with effective, settled spiritual disciples (Rule of Life). Participation is limited to four people plus the leader. Those participating need to already have a good bit of spiritual maturity. Admission to the group is based on your self-assessment (an assessment form will be provided) and that of the group leader. This is an opportunity to do spiritual guidance in a truly mutual manner. The group meets for sessions of 3–3½ hours and includes a meal together. As part of its life the group will decide to make use of an Office or Eucharist on the parish schedule, or say an office on its own. The leader will function more as a facilitator than as a spiritual director. On occasion spiritual friendships emerge for some in the group that continue on beyond the program. Another possibility is that a small group might decide to continue meeting a few times each year or go on several days of retreat together.
During Lent each year, and at other times, a priest will be available in the church. The schedule will be announced. Confessions may also be made at any time by appointment. See page 446 in The Book of Common Prayer.
When a confession is heard in a church building, the confessor may sit inside the altar rails or in a place set aside to give greater privacy, and the penitent kneels nearby. If preferred, the confessor and penitent may sit face to face for a spiritual conference leading to absolution or a declaration of forgiveness.
When the penitent has confessed all serious sins troubling the conscience and has given evidence of due contrition, the priest gives such counsel and encouragement as are needed and pronounces absolution. Before giving absolution, the priest may assign to the penitent a psalm, prayer, or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign of penitence and act of thanksgiving.
The content of a confession is not normally a matter of subsequent discussion. The secrecy of a confession is morally absolute for the confessor, and must under no circumstances be broken.
Centering Prayer Group
The Centering Prayer Group at Trinity meets every Wednesday evening at 6:15 p.m. for a short reading, two 20-minute prayer periods with a short meditative walk between sits, and conversation. The sessions usually conclude between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. Through the practice and nurturing of centering prayer, we seek to be open to the contemplative dimension of the Gospel. We practice a method taught by Fr. Thomas Keating, and are members of Contemplative Outreach Northwest, www.conw.org. Interested persons may contact Michael Regis at (206) 328-2318.
Benedictine Spirituality Group
The Rule of St. Benedict was written in the 6th century, a time not unlike our own. It is now, as it was then, a very practical way of living the Gospel. The spirituality of the Book of Common Prayer is Benedictine. The Benedictine Spirituality Group meets every other Thursday from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The group reads ahead of time on some aspect of Benedictine Spirituality and shares in discussion when we gather. At about 11:00 we break for lectio divina, an ancient form of reflective reading of a psalm, and then conclude with Noon Day Prayer. Interested persons can contact Peggy Burt at (425) 775-0928.
Spiritual Friendships
An informal relationship between two Christians who agree to meet on a regular basis to discuss what is happening in each person's relationship with God, others and self. It is usually best to agree in advance on a specific number of times to meet. You can extend that agreement if both parties wish. The parish plays no formal role in this.
