Active Hope

About the programme

Many of us carry a deep concern for the world around us. Whether we are reflecting on injustice, conflict, environmental challenges or the future of our communities, it can sometimes be difficult to know how to respond without becoming overwhelmed, discouraged or disconnected.

Inspired by Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, this programme offers a compassionate and practical framework for engaging with these realities while nurturing hope, resilience and connection. Together, we’ll explore how gratitude, grief, insight and action can help us respond more thoughtfully to the challenges of our time.

This programme is for anyone interested in the relationship between ecology and spirituality, whether you’re actively involved in justice-related work, exploring questions of faith and creation, or simply seeking a deeper sense of purpose and connection. No prior knowledge of Joanna Macy’s work is required.

Set within the rhythm of life at Iona Abbey, this environmental retreat offers space for reflection, conversation and shared experience. Through community, creativity and spiritual practice, we’ll explore how we can respond to a changing world with honesty, courage and hope.

Meet the Programme Leader(s)

Monica Mueller-Roemer is a retired system analyst and project manager. These days, she leads and organises Spiritual Retreats in the Anglican/Episcopal Church. She is a member of the Climate and Creation Care Ministry in the Episcopal Church in Europe and a Member of the Iona Community. Monica lives in Frankfurt, Germany.

Christopher Jage-Bowler is from the UK, lives in Berlin, and is an ordained Anglican priest. Interests include spirituality, ecology, bibliodrama, and inter-cultural exchange.

What to expect

Each day will combine guided reflection, conversation, creative practice and time in nature as we explore how to respond to suffering, injustice and the climate crisis with honesty, compassion and hope.

Drawing on Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, we’ll journey through a series of themes including gratitude, grief, new perspectives and renewed purpose. Through guided meditations, group exercises and shared reflection, participants will be invited to engage both heart and mind, exploring how we remain connected to ourselves, one another and the wider world during challenging times.

The programme will include opportunities for discussion in small and larger groups, creative activities, and an easy-to-learn dance. While most sessions will take place indoors, we’ll also spend time outdoors, allowing the landscape of Iona to deepen our reflections on ecology and spirituality, our relationship with creation, and questions of environmental justice.

Alongside the programme sessions, you’ll share in the daily rhythm of life at Iona Abbey, including worship, meals and community life. There will also be space for personal reflection, rest and informal conversation with fellow guests.

The tone of the week will be thoughtful, hopeful and participatory. This environmental retreat offers practical tools and shared experiences that can help sustain hope, deepen connection and support meaningful responses to the challenges facing our world. Inspired by the principles of creation care and collective responsibility, the week invites participants to explore what a hopeful response to today’s challenges might look like in practice.

For those seeking a climate retreat, a creation care retreat, or simply a space to reflect on how faith, community and action intersect, the programme offers both encouragement and practical ways forward.