Abbey of the Arts

Transformative Living through Contemplative & Expressive Arts

  • Welcome
    • Prayer Cycle
    • About the Abbey
    • About Christine Valters Paintner
    • About John Valters Paintner
    • About the Wisdom Council
    • Monk Manifesto
    • Join the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks
    • Subscribe to Our Love Notes
    • Website privacy notice
  • Books
    • Breath Prayer:
      An Ancient Practice for the Everyday Sacred
    • Sacred Time:
      Embracing an Intentional Way of Life
    • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: Poems
    • Earth, Our Original Monastery:
      Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature
    • Dreaming of Stones: Poems
    • The Soul's Slow Ripening:
      12 Celtic Practices for Seeking the Sacred
    • The Wisdom of the Body:
      A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
    • Illuminating the Way:
      Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics
    • The Soul of a Pilgrim:
      Eight Practices for the Journey Within
    • Eyes of the Heart:
      Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice
    • The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom
    • Desert Mothers and Fathers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings Annotated & Explained
    • Lectio Divina–The Sacred Art: Transforming Words and Images into Heart-Centered Prayer
    • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements
    • Awakening the Creative Spirit:
      Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction
    • Lectio Divina: Contemplative Awakening & Awareness
  • Poetry | Art | Music
    • Music + DVD
    • Poetry by Christine Valters Paintner
    • Poetry Videos
    • Dancing Monk Icons
    • Other Art Collaborations
      • Monk in the World art series by Kristin Noelle
      • Saints & Animals art series by David Hollington
      • Sacred Time art series by Alexi Francis
      • Mary block print art series by Kreg Yingst
  • Programs
    • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color Book Club
      • Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color (Book Club – March 2021)
      • God Alone is Enough: A Spirited Journey with Teresa of Avila (Book Club – February 2021)
    • Community Online Retreats
      • Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman-on Being Free
      • Writing Into Bloom
        with Christine Valters Paintner
      • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
      • The Wisdom of Wild Grace: A Weekend Retreat Online
      • The Spiral Way:
        Celtic Spirituality and the Creative Imagination
      • Sacred Balance:
        Aligning Body and Spirit Through
        Yoga and the Benedictine Way
    • Self-Study Online Spiritual Retreats
      • Creative Flourishing in the Heart of the Desert:
        An Online Retreat with St. Hildegard of Bingen
      • Dreaming of the Sea:
        A women’s discernment journey through the story of the Selkie
      • Earth, Our Original Monastery
        A Companion Retreat to the Book (SELF-STUDY)
      • Exile and Coming Home:
        An Archetypal Journey through the Scriptures
      • Eyes of the Heart:
        Photography as Contemplative Practice
        (Companion retreat to the book)
      • Honoring Saints and Ancestors:
        Online Retreat for the Season of Remembrance
      • Lectio Divina:
        The Sacred Art of Reading the World
      • A Midwinter God:
        Making a Conscious Underworld Journey (SELF-STUDY)
      • Sacred Rhythms of Sky, Sun, Sea & Stone:
        A Creative Retreat with the Elements (SELF-STUDY)
      • Sacred Seasons:
        A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year
      • The Soul of a Pilgrim:
        Eight Practices for the Journey Within
        (a companion retreat to the book)
      • The Soul's Slow Ripening: 12 Celtic Practices for Seekers of the Sacred (a companion retreat to the book)
      • Water, Wind, Earth & Fire
      • Watershed Moments
        in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures
      • Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist:
        A 12-Week Companion Retreat to The Artist's Rule
      • The Wisdom of the Body:
        A 10-Week Online Companion Retreat to the Book
      • The Wisdom of Mary and the Sacred Feminine
    • Live Programs: Pilgrimage & Retreats
      • Writing on the Wild Edges (Ireland)
      • Hildegard of Bingen (Germany)
      • Awakening the Creative Spirit: Experiential Education for Spiritual Directors in the Expressive Arts (Northwest)
  • Calendar
  • Reflections
  • Contact

Monk in the World

Monk in the World Guest Post: Lita Quimson

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from Wisdom Council member Lita Quimson entitled, "Kindred Spirits: A Divine Encounter."

My Name is Lita, and I am the founder of On the Third Day (OTTD) Renewal and Formation Center, an ecumenical ministry of spiritual formation and accompaniment in the Philippines. The first time I came across Christine’s book, “The Soul of a Pilgrim”, I instantly connected with her heart. I immediately went to the Abbey of the Arts website and got even more excited because I found in there everything I was searching for. I felt a deep connection.

Apart from OTTD, I also founded Cherimoya Eco-Spirituality and Retreat Center, a sacred space strategically placed an hour from Manila so it can be accessible to as many people as possible. Many people have come and spent some quality time with God in nature and in silence. They go back to the city refreshed and restored by God’s presence.

One of the major inspirations for the founding of our ecumenical ministry and the retreat center was St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus. In his Spiritual Exercises, he highlighted the connection between the creator and the created. This has become a core mission of the center and ministry.

My ministry was also influenced by the author Matthew Fox. I was giving a 3-day retreat on creation spirituality based on Fox’s book when I was struck by a chapter saying God is the most creative being in the universe. Although we have been using art expression as a form of reflection in many of our retreats, those words opened up a whole new area in my life. It began my search into the deeper meaning of words and concepts such as hospitality, generosity, and creativity and how these are all reflections of the heart of God. In an interview with Christine some years ago she was asked about a word that would capture what Christianity really meant to her. Her answer was “hospitality”. It stayed with me to this day. It strengthened my resolve to know more about God’s heart.

Our ministry and center welcome every seeker who comes knocking. We extend Benedictine hospitality to those who need it. For us, all a person has to do is to desire to know God and we will be ready to assist him or her. We believe that the lack of financial resources should not be a hindrance to seek God. We do a number of fundraising events to build a scholarship fund so we can help those who need financial assistance in enrolling in our programs. The generosity of our donors is overwhelming and so we also pass on that generosity.

The ministry has been here for 8 years and we have done a number of expressive arts such as djembe drumming, painting, origami, mosaicing, mandala-making, poetry, and clay sculpture. Personally, I have fallen in love with mosaicing and this has become my preferred way of expressing myself. The fragmented shards of porcelain constantly remind me of how broken I am and yet can be fashioned into something beautiful through God’s love and grace who heals and puts us all together. I finished my first piece last year and have many more lined up for the center. We have tableaus depicting earth, wind, fire, and water. They are all inspired by Christine’s book, a major reference for my creation spirituality retreat as well.

As a result of a deep connection with Creation, my seekers and I are launched by God's grace to become fully alive. We are invited to respond to God’s call through a life well-lived and pleasing to God.

View the video compilation of our recent Strings Under the Stars event.

Strings under the Stars: A Fundraiser Classical Concert in the Park from Cherimoya Farm on Vimeo.


 

Fully alive and wild at heart. Lita founded and leads On the Third Day Renewal and Formation Center and Cherimoya Eco-Spirituality and Retreat Center in the Philippines. She specializes in designing sacred landscapes and is a believer and encourager of connecting with God through the surroundings. Lita uses expressive arts in various forms to encourage her retreatants to know God and themselves more deeply. Lita is an experienced spiritual director trained in various local and international institutions. She holds a Master’s Degree in Ministry with a major in spiritual formation, and certificates in spiritual direction and formation.
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Leave a Comment April 8, 2020

Upcoming Programs

  • The Two HT’s Harriet Tubman and Howard Thurman on Being Free with Therese Taylor-Stinson
    • Apr 17, 2021
  • Writing Into Bloom with Christine Valters Paintner
    • May 1, 2021
  • Revelations: The Mysticism of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe
    • May 13, 2021
  • View All Upcoming Programs

Recent Reflections

  • Monk in the World Guest Post: Greta Kopec
  • Monk in the World Podcast + Harriet Tubman Mysticism ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess
  • Lift Every Voice: Contemplative Writers of Color – April Video Discussion and Book Group Materials Now Available
  • Hildy Tails 12: Is ait an mac an saol ~ by John Valters Paintner
  • Easter Blessings + An Elemental Journey ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

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