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Support the Spyridon Center

The St. Spyridon Center is looking for mission partners to support us both spiritually and financially. We need all the prayers and advice we can get as we begin this initiative. Any donation we receive is a huge blessing, and through our partnership with Xavier Mission Fund, is 100% tax-deductible. We are specifically looking for people to join us as committed monthly partners in order to help us secure a stable foundation and budget for future operations, as well as to offer intercession for us that God’s grace may pour abundantly upon us. Without Him we can do nothing! Please see our proposed timeline below to better understand our financial and operational goals. God bless you!

Launch website
Begin fundraising with goal of $5,000 in monthly support
Begin development of online resources based on CPR design research (blog, etc.)
Begin planning retreats, workshops and summer formation program
Travel to local universities/Newman Centers to advertise
Start R&D using CPR principles

Finish fundraising and re-evaluate needs
Host first retreats/workshops and first summer formation program
Continue development of online resources (podcasts, how-to guides)
Host local weekly formation events
Begin working part-time to accomplish these tasks
Launch food production initiatives (i.e. gardens, meat and dairy animals, etc.) with end goal of producing 75% of the needs for the St. Spyridon Center

Create first videos with content from ongoing retreats/projects
Ramp up food production initiatives and further refine CPR techniques
Launch monthly outreach/evangelization events
Launch parish/church collaborations
Begin search for new “brick-and-mortar” location and, once found, formally incorporate as a 501c3 non-profit and begin construction

“Some give to the Lord’s mission by going on it. Others go on the Lord’s mission by giving to it. Without both there is no mission.”
-St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Attend an Experience

Retreats

Retreats are themed experiences that take place on weekends and are geared for young adults (ages 18-39) who desire to encounter the Lord both in the inner places (the silence of the heart, the Chapel, the Scriptures, the Liturgy, etc.) and the outer places God created (the woods, fields and streams, the homestead, etc.). Retreats combine prayer (silent, vocal, liturgical, etc.) with faith-based discussions and hands-on demonstrations of permaculture (CPR) principles.

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Workshops

Workshops are primarily hands-on experiences dedicated to a specific project aimed at furthering CPR (permaculture) knowledge and practice. This could be anything from harvesting and preserving food to constructing utility infrastructure (rocket mass heater, biogas digester, etc.) to erecting a sustainable structure (yurt, strawbale cottage, etc.). Workshops are based off of CPR – Christian Permaculture Regeneration – and thus can serve as a first point of contact for those curious to learn more about authentic Catholic Christianity while learning and building permaculture skills. There will be elements of prayer and light catechesis along with the workshop but, unlike a retreat, the focus is more on accomplishing a particular project and learning outcome.

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See Upcoming Workshops

Summer Formation Program

This program will be offered once we have the operational stability and financial support to sustain it. This will be a program that runs May-August/September and is for Christians wishing to grow deeper in the Catholic faith and learn practical skills in permaculture and other trades. We will be offering a certification in “CPR” – Christian Permaculture Regeneration – at the completion of the program. In addition to daily holy hour and other prayer, there will be time for small group formation, classroom time, evangelization and outreach to the local community, and partnership with local farms to develop skillsets. Ideal candidates will be those willing to get their hands dirty, work hard outside rain or shine, desire to learn and grow, and be able to thrive in a constantly changing schedule. If you are interested, send us a message!