In 2023, Rolling Ridge celebrates 75 years of ministry. Every month this year, we’re sharing a story reflecting the impact Rolling Ridge has had and is having on people. This month, Michael Reed, our Associate Executive Director, highlights Eileen Medeiros, who also discovered us during the pandemic and is a regular donor and active part of our online Rohr ministries.  If you have a story to share about what you found at the Ridge, please let Michael know.

FINDING COMMUNITY:

Eileen Medeiros on Hearing with your Heart

By Rev. Michael Reed, Associate Director

Eileen Medeiros needed a community that could listen. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she started searching the internet for a new spiritual home. Somehow, from her home in Rhode Island, where she teaches English at Johnson & Wales University, Eileen found her way to Rolling Ridge.

“I call myself a kind of recovering Evangelical,” she says. “I realized a while back that the canned answers weren’t helping me anymore.” She tried out a few other online groups, but they reminded her too much of the Christian faith she had left behind: rigid, doctrinaire answers that didn’t match her life experience, and couldn’t hear the deep questions of her heart.

“Out of the blue I just Googled ‘Richard Rohr Small Group.’” says Eileen, referring to Father Richard Rohr, the Franciscan friar and author best known for his dynamic teaching on Christian mysticism and spirituality. “I remember it was right before Christmas. I came across Rolling Ridge and sent one of those ‘To whom it may concern’ emails.”

Eileen quickly signed up for our Richard Rohr Action and Contemplation Group, in which participants use the writings from Rohr as a guide on their own spiritual journey. Right away, things were different. “I loved the thoughtfulness of it,” she said. “Talking with people who are really thinking about this stuff, and posing questions, and are really supportive of each other.” She started attending in January, and quickly felt comfortable to share the deep questions in her own heart. At times, the emotions that welled up were so strong that she worried she might cry—that is, until other members affirmed how important it is to grieve, as she processed her own growing concern for creation and her love for animals. Together, she and others have forged a space that is honest yet affirming, communal yet diverse.

“I feel like that small group is my church,” says Eileen. “It has expanded my view of God.” It also changed her life for the better. She says she is able to better coach students in resilience, offering support and tools for perseverance in the face of difficulty. Her discovery of her own concern for creation has caused her to offer a new course on Animals and Society, and explore new ways to care for others and for the environment. “The group has given me so much confidence,” she says.

After connecting with Rolling Ridge online for three years—during which time Eileen became an active participant and one of our wonderful monthly financial supporters—Eileen finally visited Rolling Ridge in person for the first time in August this year. She came to an in-person retreat on St. Claire of Assisi and the contemplative practice of gazing.  She met people in-person she had seen online for years and while walking the grounds, she had a profound God-encounter while contemplating a tree. It was a spiritual experience that moved her to tears.

For Eileen, the Ridge was first a sacred virtual space and is now also a sacred physical place. It’s a welcome reminder that the ministry of Rolling Ridge can transcend our own 38 acres. The connections we make together, whether formed during an in-person retreat or forged through the virtual realm, provide people with a place to belong; to wrestle with life’s deepest questions; and to embrace their true selves, even as they connect with other like-minded individuals. That’s what makes Rolling Ridge truly special: a contemplative community where people can hear with their heart, on their journey towards home.
 

Eileen is one of our dozen or so monthly donors! Their regular support keeps our ministry going. Please consider following Eileen’s example and making a monthly (or one-time) donation to Rolling Ridge. Please click here.

Are you interested in joining one of our online small groups? Our next Rohr Action and Contemplation group meets December 10th, 2023. Learn more at rollingridge.org/events.