A Home for Spirituality

The home for Spirituality was blessed and opened by His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin Gnanapragasam, the Bishop of Jaffna on September 5th 2019. Fr. Selvaratnam, who is the animator of these programs explained about the Home for Spirituality. He said, “this is not in the real sense of the  word a ‘retreat centre,’ although retreats also will be led by various people, it’s primarily a Spirituality Home and our focus will be on contemplative prayer. We shall invite people of all faiths, eventually, to come and get involved in contemplative prayer. Whether you call it Christian meditation or Centering prayer, or Vipassana or Zen or Yoga, our ultimate purpose is unitive consciousness which could be translated as the ‘Kingdom of heaven’. If we speak of one’s spiritual journey, we need spiritual guides and therefore we will train spiritual guides which will be a two year program with two months residency each year. Ongoing supervision will be provided for those who participate in this training program and those who practice as spiritual guides. A person grows as a ‘professional counselor’ and spiritual guide only in supervision.  That is my own experience.”

“The spiritual formation as part of the holistic formation has to begin in our seminaries and religious formation houses. Therefore, we will provide a two month intensive training for the to-be formators. For this training program we will follow a process methodology.” “We will bring new cosmology, new science especially quantum physics, depth psychology and spirituality together and take an integral approach to all our seminars and contemplative retreats.  We have subtitled our booklet as ‘Unbroken Wholeness’ from quantum physicist David Bohm, one of the most scientific thinkers and philosophers of our time.”

“The contemplative way is the way forward for a divided country – for that matter, a divided world. Just speaking about unity and working against it at the same time, and conducting reconciliation programs while the  oppression of so-called minorities  continues  is dualism. Dualism is at the root of all religions as practiced (not lived) today.  We also will speak and discuss to walk towards a  non-dual Christianity for the future.” “We would take this opportunity to invite all the bishops, priests, religious and the ‘people of God’ to make the best of this Home.” There were many priests, religious and lay people graced the opening ceremony of home for spirituality.

no images were found