Rites of Passage: Letting Go

Catalog description

Taught by SKSM. Whether it takes the form of death, separation/divorce, a frightening medical diagnosis, or even the loss of a pregnancy, loss is a normal part of the human experience - but it can be challenging to surrender to the grieving process, to make sense of our loss within our religious/spiritual framework, and to trust that the unknown territory of mourning might carry us toward new meaning. This weekend intensive course will focus on crafting and leading rites of passage that give outward expression to the breadth of human loss. Most of the course will focus on memorial services, where we'll divide our work between the content of these services - their theology, language, and liturgical components - and the pastoral responsibilities and hazards that might arise. A portion of this course will be spent exploring other significant or painful endings, rarely addressed by traditional rites of passage, to ask how communities of faith might respond to the pastoral needs and opportunities entailed therein. Students may take both or one of the Rites of Passage intensive weekend courses. This course relates to SKSM Thresholds 1, 5, 8 and MFC Comps 1 & 2. This course is high-residence hybrid. Format: Evaluation method: reflection papers and written project. Intended Audience: MDiv, MA/MTS, DMin. [20 max enrollment]. Class meets: Friday, 2/22/2019, from 9:00am-5:00pm; Saturday, 2/23/2019, from 10:00am-6:00pm; Sunday, 2/24/2019, 1:00pm-7:00pm; at SKSM.