Sangre de Cristo Center
410 State Road 592
Santa Fe NM 87506 USA
Phone: 505.983.7291
Fax: 505.983.6963
info@sangredecristo.org

Nature and Purpose

Sangre de Cristo Center, near Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, provides a sabbatical program for Catholic men and women religious and priests, in their middle years. The Center was founded in 1962 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Over the years of the Center's operation, several thousand persons have taken advantage of the Sangre program for help in understanding themselves as persons, as Christians, and as religious ministers in a society and a church undergoing profound cultural change.

The term refoundation is used to describe the work of the Center because the program does two things: (a) It invites each participant to a thorough examination of the fundamental understandings, motives, and movements of a lifetime of ministry; and (b) It encourages the development of those modes of being and doing that will bring each member's basic faith and central values effectively into future ministry.

The various integrated elements of the Sangre program are intended to facilitate the development of what is essential to an understanding of and compassionate involvement in the society and Church of our times:

 A permeating faith in the God who calls, who grants us salvation in Jesus Christ, who communicates the Spirit to us and to whom we respond in a life of daily personal prayer;

 An adult comprehension of contemporary theological, sociological, and psychological insights into God, humanity, culture, church, scripture, social needs, and morality;

 A strong sense of personal identity, including the facing and accepting of personal strengths and limitations, personal successes and failures, along with a reasonable facility in communicating both ideas and feelings.

The Sangre program calls for the personal involvement of examining one's own life and ministry in the light of the gospel and the Christian tradition through reading, discussion, and participation in formal presentations and workshops, as well as through the experience of personal solitude, prayer, and the dynamics of group interaction. The program provides opportunities, qualified assisting personnel, and a specialized climate for the realization of its purposes. In the end, however, the determining factors for successful participation are always the initiative and involvement, the personal mastery and self-discipline, of each participant.

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Persons Whom Sangre Can Benefit: The program and style of life at Sangre are designed for religious (men and women) and priests of middle years (40-70) who are in good health and are adjusted psychologically, who desire the time and structure for a deeper personal integration as well as updating in various areas of theology and spirituality, and who are willing to contribute generously to interrelating with others in this community experience.

Persons Whom Sangre Cannot Benefit: As part of our continual growth toward Christian maturity, each of us must deal with repeated experience of weakness and failure. There are, however, some difficulties that require the assistance of a skilled professional. Sangre cannot be helpful, for example, in the remediation of alcoholism or such psychological issues as dissociation, withdrawal, or severe levels of discontent, authority hostility, depression, etc. Were someone to come to Sangre struggling with such an issue inevitably that person would leave with the issue unresolved. While at Sangre that person would not only experience personal discomfort but would also cause pain and disruption for the other members of the group. In such case, the person may be asked to leave and to seek professional psychological or psychiatric assistance. Experience has clearly shown the futility of expecting that participation in the Sangre program can benefit an individual working through such issues or substitute for needed therapeutic intervention.

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Location

Sangre de Cristo Center is located on over 600 acres adjacent to the Santa Fe National Forest, about twelve miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The extensive property in a private valley contains the buildings of the Center, an assortment of mesas and arroyos, two spring-fed ponds, and a waterfall on a small stream. The site was chosen primarily because of its wild natural beauty, its bracing climate at an elevation of 7,100 feet, and its almost constant sunshine and clear air. For someone not familiar with the rugged beauty of the southwestern United States, the contrast with other, greener parts of the world, will, at first be startling.

Program

Presentations and Discussions: One important aspect of the program is the balanced series of presentations in theology, psychology, spirituality, religious life, ministry, social awareness, and life planning. The presenters are highly qualified, noted for their religious awareness and overall comprehension of the movement of personal and religious development, as well as the ability to communicate effectively. Presentations are usually given in both a morning interval of two hours and an evening interval of one hour, although not all program segments have both morning and evening presentations. Presenters invite questions and provide opportunities for discussions. Since Sangre presenters reside at the Center during the time of their presentations, personal consultation and informal interaction is readily available.

In order to gain the most from the presentations of the visiting staff, as well as to benefit generally from the Sangre experience, a collateral reading program is strongly recommended. Sangre has an excellent up-to-date library of several thousand volumes, many periodical subscriptions, and other resource materials. Visiting presenters may also suggest particular reading material relevant to their topics.

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Prayer and Liturgy: Although no set time is scheduled for personal prayer, the large amount of open time throughout the program provides opportunities for individuals to schedule their own personal prayer time. Four special components of the program are intended to facilitate the development of personal prayer in the lives of the participants:

 Quiet time of about forty-five minutes is ordinarily provided each morning, during which all other activities come to a halt;

 A silent, eight-day directed retreat, near the midpoint of the program, focuses specifically on one's personal prayer life and opens up an opportunity for growth and enrichment;

 Regular "Desert Days" afford extended time for personal solitude;

 Spiritual Direction provided on a weekly basis with one of the program directors.

The Eucharistic Liturgy is usually celebrated at least five days each week; community prayer is usually offered each morning. The creativity of the participants in arranging readings, hymns, symbols, and action gives to the community prayers and liturgies a special quality and also helps to affirm the unique role of worship in the life of the Christian community.

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Community Life: The Sangre community, both by reason of its relatively short duration and because of its intensive and compressed dynamics within a modified educational structure for the achievement of specific program goals, differs significantly from what is ordinarily meant by the term religious community. The ordinary community norms do not apply, for the most part, especially in the establishment of community structures.

Within the Sangre program, the freedom of time and the close association in a common task not only allow but actively encourage the participants to develop a sense of community, a degree of intimacy, and a personal sharing at a level of understanding which may be beyond the usual experience of community living. The community experience of Sangre, together with the excellent theoretical and practical assistance of the staff members, fosters a general harmonious relationship among all involved in the program. Some find the circumstances conducive to the development of warm personal friendships that may continue over many years.

There are certain important facets of Sangre Community life that contribute to this bonding relationship. Of particular importance among these are:

 Small groups, meeting periodically, provide occasions for participants to share their experiences with one another;

 Informal as well as formal social gatherings celebrate Christian brotherhood and sisterhood;

 Unique experiences of togetherness-in-solitude bring to awareness the need to receive from and to give to others a compassionate presence, joined with a respect for privacy, that supports the solitude needed to address issues of personal integration.

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Recreation: The opportunity for outdoor activities is a significant part of the Sangre life. The daily schedule includes open time for leisure and recreation. The climate and the forested area around Sangre are excellent for walking, hiking, and moderate mountain climbing. Sangre also has facilities and equipment for tennis.

Several days are set aside for community outings to a scenic spot of historical, cultural, or geographic interest. In addition, recreation of a more cultural nature is available during the biweekly afternoon visits to the city of Santa Fe and its environs, through the program's collection of musical and literary works, through occasional special events at nearby Indian Pueblos, and through attendance at some of the cultural events sponsored by local civic and educational organizations. One free weekend is scheduled for those who wish to travel beyond the immediate area.

More extensive recreational and sightseeing travel in the area can be done before or after the program.

Instruction and demonstrations are also provided for several arts and crafts on an optional basis. Artists, photographers, and naturalists will find themselves in an ideal environment for many activities within their fields of interest.

For reasons of health and safety of all the participants and staff, smoking is not permitted in the house.

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Work: At Sangre, a certain amount of work, based on sense of communal responsibility and ownership, is necessary for the upkeep of the facilities. This work also provides a healthy variation from personal and community activities that deal mainly with academic and reflective pursuits. Most weekday mornings there is a short housework period, and groups of participants take turns washing dishes after meals.

Periodically there is a voluntary work period of about two hours during which necessary maintenance, cleaning, and clerical work is done.

Personal Expenses: The relaxed atmosphere regarding the participants' use of the Sangre facilities and the personalized style of the program are adapted to religious community living rather than university dormitory arrangement. The one Sangre charge covers all necessary program and basic living expenses. However, individual needs and wants such as personal medications, fees for some optional cultural and recreational activities, travel expenses for the free weekend, postage, long-distance telephone calls, local transportation other than the scheduled community activities, massage therapy, materials for crafts and hobbies, and similar items do involve additional personal expense. These expenses as well as the cost of the travel and visiting before and after the Sangre session should be included in personal budgeting.

Because of the nature of the Sangre program, which focuses on moving from the ordinary pace and involvement in ministry to a more reflective mode, and because of the communal emphasis of the program, having a personal car during the session is inappropriate. Community vehicles are provided for bi-weekly trips to Santa Fe and may be rented at other times for special needs.

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Length of the Program: The Sangre program is one hundred days. The experience of the Sangre program since its foundation indicates that these one hundred days seriously undertaken are sufficient for considerable progress in the following areas:

 Growing in the life of prayer and spiritual development and the setting of some guidelines for the future responsiveness to the continual call of the Spirit;

 Integrating much of the rich content of the Sangre program, while determining ways to continue this lifelong learning process;

 Developing and beginning work on a reading program that is capable of enriching and instructing for a lifetime;

 Experiencing the dynamics of the human interrelating on an intimate level, and choosing some means of bringing this same style of relating to future dealings with one's self and others;

 Accepting and understanding one's need, dependence, and vulnerability, while at the time strengthening the awareness of one's giftedness and empowerment so as to encourage overall a faith-filled approach to life that is both realistic and hopeful.

The very pace of the Sangre program is itself important to the experience. Open times (for example, Sundays, most afternoons, and some evenings) are as useful and necessary to personal growth during the program as are the formal structured sessions. Here, as in all of life, each participant has to find ways of balancing initiative and involvement with discipline and restraint.

One useful perspective regarding the Sangre program is to understand that it is time spent in the service of life, rather than an end in itself. Thus, the period spent at Sangre is truly "time separated from and for the sake of" the other important activities of life. It seems obvious, therefore, that it is neither practical nor desirable to distract or interrupt this limited Sangre period by continuing serious involvement with back-home affairs. It also follows that visits of a social nature by family and friends can be a distraction to the program. On the other hand, visits by religious provincials, Bishops or personnel directors of participants are useful and supportive to individuals and to the program.

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Financial assistance is available. We wish to extend financial aid in amounts that will eliminate finances as an obstacle to participation in the Sangre program. Interested persons are invited to contact us to discuss financial arrangements.

Academic Recognition: Although the Sangre de Cristo program is essentially a non-credit, personal program, two universities have, in the past, extended academic credit for the Sangre experience. The Institute for Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago has awarded twelve hours of advanced standing toward its master's degree. The Institute for Ministry at Loyola University in New Orleans has awarded six hours of advanced standing toward its master's degree. Check with these institutions for current guidelines.

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