A Quiet Day of reflections

Richard Carter will lead this first of two quiet days basing his reflections on his new book 100 Reasons for Living: Diary of a Grateful Heart. 2026, Canterbury Press Norwich.

Both quiet days will be on the same theme and you don't have to do the first to do the second and if you wanted you could attend both.

In this book, Richard offers one hundred powerful stories gathered from his two decades of pastoral ministry – hidden everyday stories from asylum seekers, homeless and those on the edges of society, of hardship and hope, pain and unexpected grace. Amid the overwhelming weight of suffering, Richard finds a quiet yet infectious joy – not by ignoring life’s struggles, but by seeking the hidden blessings within them. Authentic joy, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, can feel elusive when life is difficult or the world seems overwhelming. Join us for a day to hear Richard’s stories and to rediscover that joy – even in the hardest of times.

The quiet day will help us to reflect upon our own reasons for living and what beings us courage, hope and joy.

Richard Carter is Head of Community Life at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square. He is also a writer and leader of retreats and quiet days . His ministry includes working closely with those who are homeless, and refugees and pastoral care of the many people who come through the doors of the church on the edge of London’s most public square. He is the founder and leader of the Nazareth Community whose members gather from everyday life to seek God in contemplation and to learn to live generously and compassionately learning from the diversity of all those they welcome. He is the author of The City is My Monastery: A Contemporary Rule of Life and most recently Letters from Nazareth: A Contemplative Journey Home. Books by Richard Carter: In Search of the Lost: The Death and Life of Seven Peacemakers of the Melanesian Brotherhood (Canterbury Press 2006). The City is My Monastery: A Contemporary Rule of Life (Canterbury Press 2019). Letters from Nazareth: A Contemplative Journey Home (Canterbury Press 2023). And Editor of: Who is My Neighbour? The Global and Personal Challenge, SPCK, 2018. For more information about the Nazareth Community See: www.nazareth.community

The day can be combined with an overnight stay or two at the House. If you would like this please contact the Retreat House direct 01245 237251.

Description supplied by the event organiser.