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'Sabbath Days' Renews Those In Ministry

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By LENORA LAKE Tribune correspondent

Published: October 6, 2007

TAMPA - Carol Mitchell 'was primarily preaching to myself' when she said those who assist others need to renew themselves.

So Mitchell, co-director of programs at the Franciscan Center, brewed a cup of tea, took off her shoes and stretched out on a sofa while participants at the center's recent Sabbath Days retreat sought their peace and tranquillity.

Mitchell said the Sabbath, or day of rest, was a priority in Hebrew Scripture.

'One of the things in our culture is that priority got lost, leading to burnout and compassion fatigue,' Mitchell told the group, which included ministers, a church vocalist, spiritual group leaders, two Catholic nuns and co-director Maureen Connors.

Debra McMaster, a piano teacher and vocalist for Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Clearwater, attended the retreat to avoid those pitfalls.

'I am going to have to take time for myself,' she said. 'Or it will be like last year: I will find myself very burned out.

'I don't want my work to become a project not a prayer,' McMaster said. 'A project is something to do; a prayer is how you live.'

Mitchell said she and Connors heard about similar retreats on Florida's east coast and decided to offer them monthly, at least through December, at the Franciscan Center, 3010 Perry Ave.

'It's something in ministry we don't allow ourselves,' Connors said. 'It's not easy to have Sabbath ... especially for those who have religious services on Sundays.'

The center is owned and operated by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, a Catholic religious order, but the programs are open to all faiths.

'It's for anybody who is in any kind of ministry - and we define ministry pretty broadly,' Mitchell said.

That could include therapists, caregivers for the elderly, ministers, organists, nurses, lay leaders and volunteers.

'It could be absolutely anyone who sees their role as ministering; it could be a grandparent taking care of their grandchildren,' Mitchell said.

Jackie Shields fits at least two categories. She is associate minister of Christ Gospel Church in St. Petersburg, a Pentecostal church. She also has been raising her grandchildren for 16 years and is a facilitator of a group for grandparents in a similar situation.

Shields said she wanted the quiet time to prepare 'a sermon God has given me. I want to see what direction he is taking me and have him help me prepare for this service.'

Of the nine retreat participants, all were women except for a man who runs a street ministry.

A 20-minute program by Mitchell, after a continental breakfast, included a presentation about the importance of the Sabbath and the reading of a poem. Participants then joined in a ritual of picking up a lighted candle and saying what they hoped to gain from the retreat, such as peace, solitude, inspiration and introspection.

Mitchell explained the significance of the ritual, saying participants must understand that 'if I don't care for my light, it is going to go out. However you come to this Sabbath Days we welcome you and invite you. Sabbath time is about crossing a threshold.'

She told them art supplies, music, books of poetry and religious materials were available.

'The whole grounds are yours,' she said of the 8 acres along the Hillsborough River given to the sisters 37 years ago for spiritual and educational purposes.

'This is whatever your Sabbath is, whatever nourishes you the most,' she said. 'Come when you want, leave when you want. It's your day.'

Marie Maria Pierre, who lives in the Lake Magdalene area, sat on the screened porch of the center's main lodge.

Pierre, spiritual director of Esperanza Interfaith Center, a ministry of small groups, workshops and retreats, has visited other Franciscan centers.

'I like the name Franciscan,' she said. 'St. Francis was about hospitality, service and welcoming. When I go to a Franciscan Center, no matter where it is, I am welcomed. People fuss over me; usually I fuss over other people.'

Correspondent Lenora Lake can be reached at (813) 865-4851 or llake@tampatrib.com.

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