Passing the Peace

A Blog By PAX Center for Spiritual Formation

Who Are We?

PAX is a Christian spiritual formation center & non-profit that began in a small town by the marsh in Massachusetts. Now, we train people from all over the country in the art of contemplative listening.

Our vision is to equip you to integrate spiritual formation into your life & the life of your worshipping communities. We believe in moving from a head to a heart knowledge of the voice & love of God. Through our cohort programs, spiritual direction, & retreats, we seek to create room & equip people to hold spaces where we can hear & recognize the voice of God & know that we are beloved.

This blog is an extension of our ministry & a place to get to know each other as well as provide a space to share things we learn along the way. Below, you will find posts written by our PAX staff team as well as wonderful guest writers. We are looking forward to listening together.

A Few Places to Start

  • On Becoming a Spiritual Director

    FROM THE DESK OF, ANDREA MARSHALL

    Do you remember as a kid being asked the question “What would you like to do when you grow up?” I dreaded that question as I never knew what I wanted to…

  • How We Named Our Blog

    FROM THE DESK OF, IElA GALIANO-WILLIAMS

    I grew up in a church where every week we would pause at one point in the service to “pass the peace.” Snuck in between the children’s moment & the…

  • A House in Progress

    FROM ARTIST, DOROTHY HARTLEY

    For as long as I can remember, I have daydreamed about a house. The house would be small, but adaptable - with old furniture and a bright kitchen, the whole thing…

Most Recent Blog Posts

Below you will find the rest of our blogs beginning with the most recently posted. We hope these provide a small slice of nourishment & a space to pause & listen in the midst of your day. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at contactpaxcenter@gmail.com & we will get back to you as soon as we can!

Praying Through the Election
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Praying Through the Election

Voting day is getting closer & tensions are rising. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, perhaps, like us, you are experiencing difficulty in...

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The Thread of Becoming a Spiritual Director
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

The Thread of Becoming a Spiritual Director

I have felt the pull to ministry for the majority of my life, and as I look back over the years and the different phases that I went through I can certainly see a thread connecting it all together…

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Receiving God’s Love
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Receiving God’s Love

I enrolled for the Spiritual Formation Certificate program with PAX last summer, intending to learn for the sake of others. As a spiritual director, I work with many different people both individually and in groups, and I assumed this class would…

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The Authority of Compassion
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

The Authority of Compassion

Who or what comes to mind when you think of the word “authority?” How about the word “compassion?” The way I perceive these words drastically changed when we read Henri Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son in my TL1 course…

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Stories from Spiritual Direction
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Stories from Spiritual Direction

Over my forty-five years of being a follower of Christ I have experienced a lot of spiritual practices, many before I ever learned the term “spiritual practice.” I have learned which ones bring me life, which ones feel dry, and which ones…

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Invitations for Holding
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Invitations for Holding

An invitation was extended to me by a good friend to attend PAX’s Day Apart Retreat in Essex, MA. This was the first time since pre-pandemic that I’ve spent time in a church building. This was also my very first experience participating in a PAX…

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Waiting
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Waiting

One of my daughter’s favorite books is from the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems called “Waiting Is Not Easy!”. It is a story about Elephant’s struggle to be patient while waiting for the…

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“Three-Mile-An-Hour God”
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

“Three-Mile-An-Hour God”

A few years ago in a seminary class, I read something that referred to Jesus as the “three-mile-an-hour God.” Jesus could have…

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A Story of Silence
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

A Story of Silence

The details of that traumatic morning are mostly hazy. I probably woke up to the sound of my mom’s voice as she gently nursed me out of my dream world. “婷婷, 該起床了.” …

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Choosing A Listening Space
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Choosing A Listening Space

I know I want to talk to someone, but who do I talk to? How do I choose between seeing a therapist, a life coach or a spiritual director?…

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Walking…A Day At A Time
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Walking…A Day At A Time

Something I do almost every day no matter the weather is go for a walk. Walking, for me, is not only a form of exercise, but a way to…

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A House in Progress
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

A House in Progress

For as long as I can remember, I have daydreamed about a house. The house would be small, but adaptable - with…

Read More
On Becoming A Spiritual Director
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

On Becoming A Spiritual Director

Do you remember as a kid being asked the question “What would you like to do when you grow up?” I dreaded that question as I never knew…

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Living Lent
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Living Lent

Well, that was different! - I don’t know about you, but as a kid, I grew up with a deep desire to understand & feel my faith….

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Advent Week 4: Love
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Advent Week 4: Love

Only a week to go until we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Each year we are swamped with siren calls to spend, lovely images that lure us to expectations of…

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Advent Week 3: Joy
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Advent Week 3: Joy

What Christmas music do you find yourself returning to each year? Like many years before, I’m still listening to Nat King Cole’s album, “The Christmas Song”…

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Advent Week 2: Peace
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Advent Week 2: Peace

When I was first asked to reflect on the theme of peace, linked with this text from Luke, I wasn’t too sure of the connection! Nowhere in the text can the word “peace” be found…

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Advent Week 1: Hope
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Advent Week 1: Hope

Advent means “coming” & this definition almost inadvertently accompanies a sense of waiting, whether that is joyful waiting, a difficult waiting, or perhaps it is a waiting with some combination…

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Beauty for Ashes: Photography as a Spiritual Practice
Iela Galiano-Williams Iela Galiano-Williams

Beauty for Ashes: Photography as a Spiritual Practice

Art had always been my favorite subject in school, & when I ran out of art classes to take in high school, I signed up for photography. With a heavy manual film camera in my hand, I ventured into…

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