In 1983-4, Margo had the opportunity to live and work in Pendle Hill, a Quaker center for study and contemplation in Wallingford, PA. While there she had the chance to meet and get to know numerous gifted individuals in the area of spiritual growth, some of whom filled the role of mentor and guide (Douglas Steere, Parker Palmer, Sandra Cronk, Donald Swann, John Yungblut, Francis Dorff).
It was near the end of the time spent at Pendle Hill that Margo wrote in her journal, “I want prayer as the primary focus of my life,” although unaware of what specific shape or form this might take…
In 1986, Margo attended a 10-day Intensive retreat on Centering Prayer in Snowmass, Colorado, with Abbot Thomas Keating. Fr. Keating was another significant influence on Margo, meeting with her several times when he came out East, following the retreat in Snowmass.
In the early 1990’s, while still a novice, Sr. Margo started spiritual direction with a Jesuit, Fr. Donald Divine, SSJ, over at Loyola Retreat Center in Morristown, N.J. In December of 1994 she began the 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola with him. In 1996 she had the opportunity to do the 30-day retreat of the exercises at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, PA.
candid photo of Margo - Pendle Hill postcard
Further training in Ignatian Spirituality, and her graduate level work in Human Development, provided the foundation for Sr. Margo to do spiritual direction, begun in 1996. Her rich background in the arts and psychology often come into play when guiding others.
Sr. Margo has been leading groups to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall since 1999. Celtic Journeys CSJB is a ministry sponsored by the community. Countless people have gone on these trips, often returning again and again.
click on link: https://www.celticjourneys.org
Just having returned from one of her Ireland trips, she felt moved to write a book about the people there. “Sometimes a Star” was first published in 2009, and is essentially informal conversations with 20 individuals in Ireland, asking them questions such as, “what sustains you,” and “where do you find God.” The book will be revisited in the near future and published again with the same title, “Sometimes a Star.”
In October 2021, Sr. Margo (using the same name of M.E. Colman) published her second book “Not Just an Ordinary Pony.” As the title implies, this new book is a delightful heartwarming true story about a small horse that showed up on their property in 1992, and lived with them for 27 years. It is filled with wonderful anecdotal stories, color illustrations, and black and white photographs.
Sr. Margo in Ireland
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