Chelmsford Diocesan House of Retreat at Pleshey together with the Evelyn

Underhill Association USA and Hampstead Parish Church invite you to:

A CELEBRATION OF EVELYN UNDERHILL

14TH - 18TH JUNE 2021

80th Anniversary

A WOMAN OF HER TIME AND OUR OWN!

A CELEBRATION OF EVELYN UNDERHILL (6.12.1875-15.06.1941)

June 15th 2021, marks the 80th anniversary of the death of

Evelyn Underhill. She was a remarkable woman, particularly in

the life of the Church. A woman ‘of her time’ -and yet ahead

of her time, Evelyn Underhill is a woman who, we believe,

speaks into our current context with both challenge and

encouragement.

Outwardly, she was simply a middle class married woman supporting her lawyer

husband and taking advantages of the culture of Edwardian society.

However, beneath this exterior, was a woman with a passion for God and a deep

commitment not only to her own faith journey but also to encouraging others to be

‘soaked with the Spirit.’

That encouragement came through her ministry of conducting retreats for lay people

but also for male clergy – almost unheard of for a lay woman of her time! It came

through her ministry of spiritual direction, often through letters written to individuals

and to groups. It came through her academic writing, leading to her being made

Honorary Fellow of Kings College in 1913 and awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity

by Aberdeen University in 1939.

The Retreat House at Pleshey joins with the Evelyn Underhill Association in the USA

and Hampstead Parish Church (where Evelyn is buried) to present a full week of online

events to:

Celebrate this remarkable woman.

Thank God for the legacy she has given us.

Explore her links with the Retreat House Pleshey.

Gain insights from the latest scholarship into her life and ministry and her writing.

Discover how her writings speak to us today.

Those leading the sessions have a passion and expertise in various aspects of Evelyn’s

life. They have been drawn from around the world to make this a truly international

week. Our hope is, that by joining with us, you will be enriched and encouraged to

explore further.

BOOKINGINFORMATION

Booking is by Eventbrite from 5th May

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-celebration-of-evelyn-underhill-tickets-152072451797

Each session is priced at £10

The Diocesan Retreat House at Pleshey, with the Evelyn

Underhill Association in the USA and Hampstead Parish

Church (where Evelyn is buried) presents a full week of

online events.

https://www.retreathousepleshey.com

Any donation to Retreat House welcome

Sessions on Pleshey, Worship and Party

Sessions on Books

Sessions on Christian Formation and Prayer

Sessions on Scholarship

SESSIONSBYTOPIC

EVELYN AND PLESHEY Mon 14th June

THE CELEBRATION PARTY Tue 15th June

SERVICE OF CELEBRATION Fri 18th June

PRACTICAL MYSTICISM Mon 14th June

PARTICIPATING IN GOD’S WORK. EVELYN UNDERHILL’S PRAYER BOOK

Wed 16th June

MUSIC OF ETERNITY Fri 18th June

THE INNER LIFE IN THE EVERYDAY WORLD Tue 15th June

LETTERS OF COMFORT AND HOPE Wed 16th June

SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP: EVELYN AND LUCY MENZIES

KEY-NOTE ADDRESS: PROFESSOR JANE SHAW

CONTEXTS FOR EVELYN’S SPIRITUALITY— NEW EXPLORATIONS

Thu 17th June

Thu 17th June

Thu 17th June

OVERVIEW-MON

MON 14TH JUNE

3pm - 5pm (BST)

EVELYN AND PLESHEY

An introduction to our celebration week and an opportunity to ‘visit’ the Retreat House

and join worship in the chapel

Canon John Howden

John has been the Warden at Pleshey and has a continuing love for the retreat house

and Evelyn’s contribution to its life. John is a film maker of some renown.

PRACTICAL MYSTICISM

Its continuing relevance Sarah will explore how this book written on the eve of WW2

has accompanied her through this pandemic.

Sarah Kinch

Sarah has journeyed with Evelyn Underhill since she was a teenager. Her dissertation

was on Underhill and she continues to research and conduct retreats on her.

10am - 12noon (BST) Video will be available for later viewing

OVERVIEW- TUE

TUE 15TH JUNE

5.30pm - 9pm (BST)

THE INNER LIFE IN THE EVERYDAY WORLD

‘The complete life of the Christian worker, must be, in a more than metaphorical sense

a continuous life of prayer.’ How do Evelyn’s words speak into our current context?

Bishop Frank Griswold Bishop Frank has been studying Evelyn Underhill since he was given a copy of Light of

Christ, aged 16. He is a writer and retreat conductor. Frank was Presiding Bishop and

Primate of the Episcopal Church from 1997-2006

OUR CELEBRATION ONLINE PARTY!

Invitation and full details in programme below

After Dinner Speaker: The Revd Dr Ellen Clark-King

Dean of Kings College London Ellen is the first woman to hold the post of Dean in the 191 years of the College’s life.

3pm - 5pm (BST)

OVERVIEW- WED

3pm - 5pm (BST)

PARTICIPATING IN GOD’S WORK. EVELYN UNDERHILL’S PRAYER BOOK ‘Hear the story about how Evelyn’s lost prayer book was discovered at Pleshey and join

with Robyn in praying some of Evelyn’s prayers.

Robyn Wrigley-Carr Robyn is Associate Professor in Theology and Spirituality at Alphacrucis College and

Associate Professor of the Public and Contextual Research Centre (PaCT) at Charles

StuartUniversity Australia. She is also a spiritual director and retreat conductor

LETTERS OF COMFORT AND HOPE IN LIVING OUR FAITH

As relevant today as when Evelyn first wrote them

Val Thompson

Val is a Spiritual Director, a Chaplain to the House of Retreat, Pleshey and an Underhill

scholar gaining her MA in Christian Spirituality in 2019.

10am – 11am (BST)

OVERVIEW-THU

4pm - 6pm (BST)

7pm - 9pm (BST)

SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP: EVELYN AND LUCY MENZIES

Robyn Wrigley-Carr Robyn is Associate Professor in Theology and Spirituality at Alphacrucis College and

Associate Professor of the Public and Contextual Research Centre (PaCT) at Charles

StuartUniversity Australia. She is also a spiritual director and retreat conductor

William Hyland William is a Benedictine Oblate and lecturer in Church History at the University of St

Andrews.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Professor Jane Shaw Jane is Principal of Harris Manchester College Oxford, Professor of the History of

Religion and Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Oxford.

CONTEXTS FOR EVELYN'S SPIRITUALITY — NEW EXPLORATIONS Dana Greene Dana is Dean Emerita of Oxford College of Emory University and renowned author on

Underhill.

Todd Johnson Todd is vice president of the Liturgical Conference USA and is currently completing a

book on the evolution of the Theology of Underhill.

James H Thrall James directs the religious studies programme and co-directs the peace and justice

studies programme at Knox College in Galesburg Illinois

1pm - 2pm (BST)

THU 17TH JUNE

OVERVIEW-FRI

3pm - 5pm (BST)

MUSIC OF ETERNITY AND THE SPIRITUAL FORMATION OF EVELYN UNDERHILL Learn about Robyn’s new book on Evelyn due to be published in August 2021 and this

years Advent Book for the Archbishop of York

Robyn Wrigley-Carr Robyn is Associate Professor in Theology and Spirituality at Alphacrucis College and

Associate Professor of the Public and Contextual Research Centre (PaCT) at Charles

StuartUniversity Australia. She is also a spiritual director and retreat conductor

IN CELEBRATION OF EVELYN UNDERHILL

a final time in the Retreat House at Pleshey with a service in the chapel

Canon John Howden & Bishop Frank Griswold

John was warden at the Retreat House and has been deeply involved in researching

Evelyn’s associations with this place of prayer.

Bishop Frank has been ‘journeying’ with Evelyn since he was 16. He is a retreat

conductor and writer. He was Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church

from 1997-2006

10am - 12noon (BST)

FRI 18TH JUNE

FULLPROGRAMME

EVELYNANDPLESHEY CANONJOHNHOWDEN

MON 14TH JUNE 10AM - 12 NOON BST

COST: £10

The opening session of the week will cover the

history of Evelyn at Pleshey. Award winning film

maker John Howden will present several films

bringing together the history of Evelyn at Pleshey,

her work with the Retreat House and her

experiences while teaching.

There will be plenty of glimpses of the Retreat

House, allowing you to be immersed in the place

that Evelyn loved so much and to experience the

sense of prayer and spiritual continuity that Evelyn felt was so special to this place.

Canon John Howden is uniquely placed to present this session. He is a former

Warden of the Retreat House and a film-maker of some renown. He can present a very

personal history of Evelyn and her relationship with the Retreat House, born over many

years exploring the legacy she left at Pleshey.

FULLPROGRAMME

PRACTICALMYSTICISM: ITSCONTINUINGRELEVANCE SARAHKINCH

MON 14TH JUNE 3PM - 5PM BST

COST: £10

Practical Mysticism was written and published on the eve of the Second World War. In

the introduction Evelyn posed the question—why publish such a book on the eve of

war? This question and its subsequent answer has a great deal of resonance for us

today in the wake of the global pandemic and all the upheaval that has brought to so

many lives.

Sarah will explore how Evelyn has accompanied her throughout the pandemic

because “she is one of those writers who understands our humanity when faced with

such enormous upheaval and trauma yet, with gentleness, she also understands our

spirits continuing need to be fed in meaningful ways and not to hide away from the

challenges presented to us.” Sarah invites you to take time to reflect in Evelyn’s

company on your experiences and journey through the pandemic.

Sarah Kinch has been journeying with the work of Evelyn Underhill since she was a

teenager when she was given a copy of the ‘Spiritual Life’. In recent years she studied

Underhill’s connection to the philosopher Henri Bergson for her MA in Christian

Spirituality. She continues to research Underhill and has led several retreats based on

Underhill’s writing.

FULLPROGRAMME

THEINNERLIFEINTHEEVERYDAYWORLD BISHOPFRANKGRISWOLD

TUE 15TH JUNE 3PM - 5PM BST

COST: £10

In 1926 Evelyn Underhill, “an ordinary lay woman," conducted her first retreat for

members of the clergy. The retreat addresses were subsequently published, and in one

of them she observed, “The complete life of the Christian worker must be, in more than

a metaphorical sense, a continuous life of prayer. It requires a constant inward

abiding in God’s atmosphere; an unhesitating response to His successive impulsions; a

steady approximation to more and more perfect union with His creative will.” Times

may change, but the urgency to abide and respond to God’s creative will is ever

before us, and especially for those called to ministry. In the midst of the chaos and

uncertainty that surrounds and impinges upon us, how can we live a life of continuous

prayerful availability to the One “who by the power at work within us is able to

accomplish far more than all we can ask or imagine?”

Frank Griswold first encounterd Evelyn Underhill at the age of 16 whilst a student at

an Episcopal boarding school. One of the priests on the faculty lent him Light of

Christ,and from that point on she became an important guide as he went on to

Harvard and Oriel College, Oxford where he read Theology, and of which he is an

honorary fellow. Returning to the United States, he was ordained and served parishes

in and around Philadelphia. In 1984 he was elected as bishop in the Diocese of

Chicago, and in 1997 he was elected Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal

Church, completing his term of office in 2006. He has taught and given retreats in

many parts of the world, including the U.K. He is the author of various articles and

several books. Among the latter are, Praying our Days, A companion and Guide

Tracking down the Holy Ghost,Reflections on love and Longing. He and his wife,

Phoebe,presently live in Philadelphia.

CELEBRATIONSATHAMPSTEADPARISHCHURCH http://hampsteadparishchurch.org.uk/

“IF GODWERESMALLENOUGH TO BE UNDERSTOOD, HE WOULDNOT BE BIGENOUGH TO BE WORSHIPPED.”

TUESDAY 15TH 12NOON IN HAMPSTEAD :DEDICATION OF NEW HEADSTONE FOR EVELYN UNDERHILL ON THIS 80TH DAY OF THE

ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH.

Why a new Headstone?

Evelyn Underhill is buried in the Additional Burial Ground of Hampstead Parish Church.

Followers from all over the world come looking for her grave, but it is hard to spot

because she is described simply as ‘Evelyn’, ‘the wife of Hubert Stuart Moore’ and ‘the

daughter of Sir Arthur Underhill’. There is no reference to her achievements.

Hampstead Parish Church is creating a more fitting memorial for her, to provide a

focus for those coming to honour her. A ledger stone to be has been designed by Lois

Anderson, a well-known local artist. Around the edge will be the words “Evelyn

Underhill 1875 – 1941 – Christian – Scholar- Spiritual Guide – A Christianity which is only

active is not a complete Christianity”

https://history.hampsteadparishchurch.org.uk/mon_info/abg_p_080b.php

Celebratory Services at Hampstead Parish Church

Sunday 13th June: Celebratory Eucharist Preacher: The Rt Rev. the Lord Harries of

Pentregarth DD .The Dean of Kings College, London will also be taking part

Sunday 13th June - 5.00 pm Celebratory Evensong – a guest preacher has been invited

All these events will be live on the facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/HampsteadPC

FULLPROGRAMME

ANONLINEPARTYINCELEBRATIONOF EVELYNUNDERHILL! HOSTED BY THERETREATHOUSE, PLESHEY

TUE 15TH JUNE 5:30PM - 9PM BST

COST: £10

Evelyn loved the finer things in life, despite her image of austerity.

To celebrate her life and work you are invited to join in an

international virtual party with guest speaker:

The Revd Dr Ellen Clark-King

Ellen was made Dean of Kings College London in 2020, the first woman to hold this

post in the 191 years of its history. Evelyn Underhill was made an Honorary Fellow of the

college in 1913, which was highly unusual for a woman of her time.

Ellen has degrees in history ( University of Cambridge) and Christian Spirituality (

London University) before gaining a PhD in Practical Theology and Feminist Spiritualty

with a thesis interrogated by the voices of white working-class women (Lancaster

University). She trained for the Anglican priesthood in Oxford and has ministered in

parish, cathedral and higher education settings in UK, Canada and US.

DINNERWITHEVELYN-GUESTINVITATION

We gather at 5.30pm for pre-dinner prayers.

Guests move to their own dinner tables to eat privately.

We come back at 7.30pm

After-Dinner Speaker:

The Revd Dr Ellen Clark-King

Dean of Kings College London

Toasts:

The Rev. Susan Dean

Executive director of Underhill House, Seattle Washington USA

http://www.underhillhouse.org

and

Kathy Staudt

President of the Evelyn Underhill Association in the US

http://evelynunderhill.org

(please bring your own coffee and liqueurs)

Continue the conversation with international friends:

‘How do you know Evelyn?’

Our evening finishes at 9pm

SUGGESTEDMENU

(please purchase prepare and cook in your own home or find something else you like!)

Suggested wines

Frascati or Valpolicella

Primi

Fritelle di zucchini

Secondi

Risotto Alle Verdure(v)

Pollo All Marengo

Contorni

Insalata

Frutta

Dolci

Zabaione

Granitadi Limone

FULLPROGRAMME

PARTICIPATINGINGOD’SWORK: EVELYNUNDERHILL’SPRAYERBOOK ROBYNWRIGLEY-CARR

WED 16TH JUNE 10AM -11am BST

COST: £10

Hear the story of how Evelyn’s lost prayer

books were found and how they were

published. It is the stuff of legend! Robyn

will also lead you in a time of prayer and

reflection, using prayers from Evelyn’s books.

Robyn Wrigley-Carr is the author of The

Spiritual Formation of Evelyn Underhill

(2020), Music of Eternity: Meditations for

Advent with Evelyn Underhill(published 19th

August , 2021), and editor of Evelyn

Underhill’s Prayer Book(2018). As well as

being an academic, she is a retreat leader

and spiritual director. Robyn is Associate Professor in Theology and Spirituality at

Alphacrucis College, Australia, and an Associate Professor of the Public and

Contextual Theology Research Centre (PaCT) at Charles Sturt University, Australia.

She is on the Editorial Board and Book Reviews Editor for the Journal for the Study of

Spirituality, and on the Executive Committee for the International Network for the

Study of Spirituality.

FULLPROGRAMME

LETTERSOFCOMFORTANDHOPE VALTHOMPSON

WED 16TH JUNE 3PM - 5PM BST

COST: £10

Evelyn wrote copious letters. Many have

been published in collections. Val will dip

into these letters on a daily basis ,

concentrating on the letters that Evelyn

wrote to her prayer group formed at the

beginning of the Second World War, a

time when physical meeting was difficult

and when the members of the group

prayed remotely but together.

These letters brought comfort and hope to

a people facing a national crisis and a

time of much uncertainty, giving a real insight into Evelyn’s enduring faith in an ever-

present God. The letters are still relevant to us today, especially in our current time of

crisis in a global pandemic.

Val Thompson is a Spiritual Director, a Chaplain to the House of Retreat, Pleshey and

a tutor of the course in spiritual direction in Chelmsford Diocese. She is an Underhill

scholar gaining her MA in Christian Spirituality in 2019 in which she explored Evelyn's

influence on others in both her own time and also in our present time within

Chelmsford diocese and Pleshey.

FULLPROGRAMME

SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP: EVELYNANDLUCYMENZIES ROBYNWRIGLEY-CARR WILLIAM HYLAND

THU 17TH JUNE 1PM - 2PM BST

COST: £10

Hosted by the Evelyn Underhill Association http://evelynunderhill.org

Learn about the enduring friendship between two remarkable women who both left an

incredible legacy in spirituality.

Robyn Wrigley-Carr is the author of The Spiritual Formation of Evelyn Underhill

(2020), Music of Eternity: Meditations for Advent with Evelyn Underhill (coming 19th,

2021), and editor of Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book (2018). As well as being an

academic, she is a retreat leader and spiritual director. Robyn is Associate Professor

in Theology and Spirituality at Alphacrucis College, Australia, and an Associate

Professor of the Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre (PaCT) at Charles

Sturt University, Australia. She is on the Editorial Board and Book Reviews Editor for

the Journal for the Study of Spirituality, and on the Executive Committee for the

International Network for the Study of Spirituality.

William P. Hyland is a Benedictine Oblate and holds a BA from Emory University and

an MA and PhD from Cornell University; he is a lecturer in church history in the School

of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. He has previously taught at several

American universities, including Cornell University, Benedictine College, and St.

Norbert College, where he was the first Director of the Center for Norbertine Studies

and held the Clarence Heidgen Chair of Catholic Studies. He has edited Custody of

the Heart: Selected Spiritual Conferences of Abbot Martin Veth, OSB; and

Panhausen: Two Sixteenth-Century Premonstratensian Treatises on Religious Life. He

has had numerous journal articles and book chapters published on a wide range of

topics in medieval church history and Christian spirituality.

FULLPROGRAMME

KEYNOTEADDRESS PROFESSORJANESHAW

THU 17TH JUNE 4PM - 6PM BST

COST: £10

Jane Shaw is Principal of Harris Manchester college, Oxford, Professor of the History

of Religion and Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Oxford. She is the author,

most recently, of Pioneers of Modern Spirituality: The Neglected Anglican Innovators of

a “Spiritual but Not Religious Age’’. Previously she was Professor of Religious Studies

and Dean of Religious Life at Stanford University, and Dean of Grace Cathedral in

San Francisco.

FULLPROGRAMME

CONTEXTSFOREVELYN'SSPIRITUALITY—NEW EXPLORATIONS DANA GREENE / TODD JOHNSON / JAMES H. THRALL

THU 17TH JUNE 7PM - 9PM BST COST: £10

Hosted by the Evelyn Underhill Association http://evelynunderhill.org

Listen to some of the foremost Evelyn scholars as they present and discuss their latest

research.

Dana Greene is dean emerita of Oxford College of Emory University and author or

editor of nine books including Evelyn Underhill: Artist of the Infinite Life, Evelyn

Underhill: Modern Guide to the Ancient Quest for the Holy, and Fragment from the

Inner Life: The Notebooks of Evelyn Underhill.

Todd Johnson is currently completing a book on the evolution of the theology of

Evelyn Underhill. Johnson recently completed a study on the effect of embodied

practices on the depth and duration of spiritual formation through those practices

with seminary students and is now researching the history of worship music in the past

century through the lens of the field of sound studies. He is a vice president of the

Liturgical Conference, a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, the

Academy of Homiletics, the American Academy of Religion, the American Society of

Church History, and the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, and he serves as

an editorial board member for Questions Liturgique.

James H. Thrall directs the religious studies program and co-directs the peace and

justice studies program at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he is the Knight

Distinguished Associate Professor for the Study of Religion and Culture. He studies

religion primarily as a social phenomenon, especially as communicated through

cultural products of film, and other media. He is the former Deputy Director of News

and Information for the Episcopal Church and served as Communications Officer for

the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. He is author of Mystic Moderns: Agency and

Enchantment in Evelyn Underhill, May Sinclair, and Mary Webb.

FULLPROGRAMME

MUSICOFETERNITYANDTHESPIRITUAL FORMATION OF EVELYN UNDERHILL ROBYNWRIGLEY-CARR

FRI 18TH JUNE 10AM - 12NOON BST

COST: £10

Robyn discusses and presents her forthcoming Archbishop of York’s advent book and

talks about her seminal work The Spiritual Formation of Evelyn Underhill.

Robyn Wrigley-Carr is the author of The Spiritual Formation of Evelyn Underhill

(2020) Music of Eternity: Meditations for Advent with Evelyn Underhill (published 19th

August , 2021), and editor of Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book(2018). As well as being an

academic, she is a retreat leader and spiritual director. Robyn is Associate Professor

in Theology and Spirituality at Alphacrucis College, Australia, and an Associate

Professor of the Public and Contextual Theology Research Centre (PaCT) at Charles

Sturt University, Australia. She is on the Editorial Board and Book Reviews Editor for

the Journal for the Study of Spirituality, and on the Executive Committee for the

International Network for the Study of Spirituality.

FULLPROGRAMME

CELEBRATIONOFEVELYNUNDERHILL CANON JOHN HOWDEN BISHOPFRANKGRISWOLD

FRI 18TH JUNE 3PM - 5PM BST

COST: £10

You are invited to an act of worship, especially written for the occasion, to celebrate

Evelyn Underhill, in the Retreat House Chapel.

The Chapel was consecrated in 1933 and Evelyn attended that consecration. The

atmosphere of prayer and the feeling of the presence of the Holy Spirit are palpable.

It was a very special place to Evelyn and continues to be so today, 88 years later!

OURTHANKS

This week has been made possible by the many people who are passionate about

Evelyn Underhill’s writings and ministry.

Among them we thank:

The Evelyn Underhill Association USA http://evelynunderhill.org

Hampstead Parish Church http://hampsteadparishchurch.org.uk

Sarah Wilson and Jo Hall from the Retreat House at Pleshey

St Mellitus College: technology support https://www.stmellitus.ac.uk

Diocese of Chelmsford https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org

Planning Team for Hampstead Parish Church

The Revd Canon Jeremy Fletcher, Sheena Ginnings and Barry Orford

Planning Team

Kathy Staudt President of the Evelyn Underhill Association, Dana Greene, President

Emerita of the Evelyn Underhill Association,

Val Thompson spiritual director and tutor in spiritual direction and the Revd Ann

Coleman: spiritual direction coordinator and spiritual companionship course leader in

the Diocese of Chelmsford and member of the Advisory Board of the Retreat House.

The House of Retreat, The Street, Pleshey, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 1HA

The Diocesan Retreat House for Essex and East London

retreathouse@chelmsford.anglican.org www.retreathousepleshey.com

The Retreat House is part of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance Registered

Charity No: 249505