ALASKA PILGRIMAGE: THE SOUL’S JOURNEY Sr. Marguerite Buchanan & Sr. Suzanne Toolan August 3-10 is now full August 14-21, 2008 is still available Co-sponsored by Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA & Stillpoint in Halibut Cove, Alaska

Cost: $2195 - A seven-night eight-day pilgrimage that begins in Anchorage, Alaska and concludes with four nights at Stillpoint Lodge in Halibut Cove, Alaska. Price includes: Tuition Three nights lodging on the journey and four nights at Stillpoint Lodge (per person double occupancy) Lunch on the fourth day All meals at Stillpoint Alaska Native Cultural Center  Walk in a rain forest Alaska Wildlife Center Glacier Cruise Special activity (to be announced) Shopping in Homer Kayaking Return flight to Anchorage Not included: airfare to and from Anchorage from the ‘lower 48’, cab to Anchorage Grand Hotel, gratuities, alcoholic beverages and some meals which are noted with an *. A $500 deposit by April 26th, 2008 is required. See registration at the bottom of the page Our first pilgrimage filled quickly. Rather than disappoint anyone we have scheduled a second pilgrimage and it too is filling rapidly. Space is very limited! Early reservations strongly encouraged. Sr. Marguerite Buchanan, RSM, was for many years a staff member at Mercy Center. Trained at the Center for Religious Development in Cambridge, MA. Marguerite also has a Master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology. Her ministry has been primarily spiritual direction and the training of spiritual directors. Other areas of interest include dream work, body-mind-spirit connection, Centering Prayer and prison ministry. She is the director of Catherine's Center, a transition house for women getting out of prison.   Sr. Suzanne Toolan, RSM has been on staff at Mercy Center, a retreat/conference facility in Burlingame, California, since its founding over 25 years ago. She composes music, creates liturgy and facilitates prayer at the center and introduced Taize worship in the San Francisco Bay area and throughout the United States. She has written hundreds of hymns, and is best known for “I Am the Bread of Life”, published in more than twenty languages.

“Stillpoint is a place I hope to visit again and again.” ~ Brenda Horvath

Experience the grandeur of Alaska that inspired Trappist Monk Thomas Merton to consider an area near Anchorage, Alaska to be his next monastery.

Journey from Anchorage to Halibut Cove, Alaska. Travel by bus down the scenic Kenai Peninsula with lodging in Anchorage, Alyeska, and The Kenai Peninsula.  View spectacular Prince William Sound, and Homer’s quaint fishing village.

Our pilgrimage continues in Halibut Cove with a four-day contemplative retreat “The Soul’s Journey” led by Sr. Suzanne Toolan and Sr. Marguerite Buchanan. Stillpoint’s breath-taking wilderness lodge and log cabins provide a surprising casual elegance seldom found in such a remote setting. Health-conscious meals prepared from the organic garden and sea awaits you. In the evening snuggle into flannel sheets and awaken in the morning to bald eagles and sea otters just outside your door.

This pilgrimage provides a majestic backdrop from which to gain insights into your relationship with nature, other cultures and God. Each day will present opportunities to experience the magnificence of creation through unsurpassed scenery.

Travel via plane, boat, tram, dog sled and bus visiting magnificent highlights along the way. You’ll even have the option of a two hour scenic Kenai River raft float!
“Sometimes words simply aren’t enough to convey the sense of gratitude and thanksgiving, which well up inside. This time away was just what I needed and my expectations were more than met – from the beginning welcome and hospitality of people and place (I would rate you a five star on a four star rating scale) to the program to the otters and eagles. As Hazel Anne and I were traveling home we said, ‘we knew Stillpoint could be wonderful, we just didn’t know it would be WONDERFUL!!! The program combining music, story, excellent reflection and theological presentation matched my hopes and my needs. Thank you Jan – for dreaming, creating and sharing – your dream is our joy.” Flora

Trip Itinerary and Description

Day One, August 14

Arrive in Anchorage as early as possible for a day on your own in the city.  Take a 15 minute taxicab ride from the airport to the ANCHORAGE GRAND HOTEL, drop off your bags and do some sightseeing, hike or bike the famous 12-mile coastal trail just minutes from the hotel or visit the downtown galleries and The Anchorage Museum of History and Art.

At 5:30 PM meet in the lobby of the hotel before strolling to a restaurant nearby for our get-acquainted dinner.

Day Two, August 15

 

Alyeska Prince Hotel

Alaska Native Heritage Center – Turnagain Arm – Alyeska - Hike

After a great continental breakfast board the shuttle for The Alaska Native Heritage Center. In addition to displays and entertainment, elders have agreed to share some unique spiritual aspects of their culture.

Lunch*, Then our private bus will take us on an hour drive along the Seward Highway which winds through the Turnagain fjords. This is rated as one of the top ten scenic routes in our nation.

Check in to the Alyeska Prince Hotel and rest a little before a lovely hike that passes through America’s northern-most rainforest.  The gentle grade with maintained boardwalks is a 5.5 mile “out and back” three-to-four-hour excursion. The Ascending Path guides have agreed to return with those who would prefer to walk just the first half of the trail.

The chateau-style Alyeska Prince Hotel sits at the base of Alyeska Ski Resort and offers views of the surrounding Chugach Mountains.  Enjoy luxurious rooms, a large heated saltwater swimming pool and the hot tub.

For dinner* choose from one of  the three restaurants the hotel has to offer: Casual dining, Asian Cuisine, or ride the tram up Mt. Alyeska to the award-winning Seven Glaciers Restaurant where your meal will be served at 2,300 feet above sea level with panoramic views of the Chugach Mountain Range, seven “hanging” glaciers and Turnagain Arm.

Overnight at the Alyeska Prince Hotel

Day Three, August 16

Alaska Wild life Conservation Center,  Glacier Boat Tour, Lodge on the Kenai Peninsula

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel’s Pond Restaurant*, board our bus for the 140–acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Be awed at the grizzlies and other animals that you will see up close. AWCC's mission is to provide refuge for orphaned, injured animals that can't survive in the wild. You might see a Siberian bear snoozing, moose foraging, a baby moose napping, plus caribou, elk, bison, baby Sitka black-tailed deer, eagles, and other animals. The musk oxen are worth the visit all by themselves.

After a visit to the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center for a wealth of information on glaciers and the local forests, we’ll drive through a tunnel to the small town of Whittier.  The tunnel is open to both trains and cars that alternate on the half-hour. In Whittier we’ll board the boat for a tour that will take us to glaciers up close and personal. There is no substitute for the experience of the sight and sounds of magnificent glaciers as huge pieces break away and crash to the sea!  Sea life will be seen in their natural habitat along the way.

Ask Srs. Cindy Kaye, Corita Burnham, and Ritamary Burnham how they enjoyed the trip last year!

Klondike express

Then board the bus for a lodge on the Kenai Peninsula for a good night sleep after a great day of variety and wonder.

Day Four, August 17

A special activity is being planned for this morning.  After lunch* drive to Homer and arrive in time to visit some of the shops on the Homer Spit. The drive along the Kenai Peninsula to Homer passes some of the most spectacular scenery in the State.  We will follow along the coast of Cook Inlet and view volcanoes in the distance.
A ferry will take us to The Stillpoint Lodge in Halibut Cove in time for us to settle into our cabins before the first of many amazing health-conscious cuisines created with produce picked daily from our garden or fish caught in the local sea.  It is here that we begin the integrative retreat with reflections on the experience of the moment or on the preceding days.

A Stillpoint in Halibut Cove
Stillpoint provides a nurturing setting steeped in the abundance of nature’s beauty and invites guests to immerse themselves in their own deep wellspring.  Sumptuous dining, cozy log cabins and a magnificent lodge nurture the soul and stimulate contemplation.  Kayak, hike, journal, read, or sit on the deck of your cabin and watch the local sea life and birds delight in their surroundings. You will also!

An aerial view of Halibut Cove

The Soul’s Journey, Exploring Ourselves and Alaska through the Writings of Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton is considered to be one of the most influential American spiritual writers of the last 100 years.  His writings speak to the search for “true self” and our need to build relationships with God and all of creation.  In 1968 Merton came to Alaska for two weeks. In this short visit the beauty he witnessed provided the opportunity for him to deepen his sense of relationship with that which is “True.”  He was so inspired by the state’s natural beauty that his desire was to build a monastery just north of Anchorage.

Day Five through Seven, August 18, 19, 20

The Soul’s Journey Retreat continues.

your table is ready

your room awaits you

 

Day Eight, August 21

Depart Halibut Cove in the morning by ferry to Homer, taxicab to the Homer Airport. Fly to Anchorage and transfer to the flight of your choice anytime after 3:00 pm.

The Anchorage Grand Hotel has agreed to honor special pricing for stays prior to or following our pilgrimage.

Recommended Websites for Further Information:

• Anchorage Grand Hotel
• Alaska Native Heritage Center
• Alyeska Resort
• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
• Glacier tour

“How can I ever express to you and Jim, your wonderful staff, and our retreat presenters what this experience has meant for me?  I came here at a time of transition in my life and found the peace and strength I need to move forward.  The surroundings, all of the beauty and majesty of God’s awesome creation have been healing.  I fell in love with the beauty, simple lifestyle and the mountains.  All wrapped me in God’s presence.”  Paulamarie

“There were times when I felt as if I was defending my choice of this pilgrimage (when)  friends would ask, ‘was I taking a cruise?’  … I knew it was the best for me at this point in my life.  The mixture of  sight seeing within a limited area and time for creative expression and reflection was a wonderful combination.  It makes me want to return.”  Judy Niemet

“Stillpoint is truly a still dwelling.  A place where time/days loose their meaning for a while and one can truly be… in the presence of awe.”

“The quiet and beauty allowed me to relax.  The meditation opened areas unexplored.  The kayaking and hiking immersed me in the wilderness.”  Liz Lawhead

“I loved everything about this place and will tell as may people as I can – church newsletters, personal contacts, clergy colleagues although I am not an ‘outdoors woman’ this is an excellent retreat place.  My needs were more than met by your wonderful staff team and the excellent program which allowed great freedom of exploration.”  Flora

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