Conversation and Conversion by the Well

At times people wonder what it would like to meet Jesus. In 1990 Almita Bey-Carriòn entered into a mystical encounter with Jesus while she was meditating on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Over time she realized how profound this encounter was and for the benefit of others sought to reproduce her experience in the Nine Meditations. They have been especially effective for those in mid-life vocation discernment adult baptismal preparation recovery from addiction or serious illness or stuck in their spiritual life. To ground her retreat in contemporary biblical theological and psychological perspectives in 1992 she published this retreat and her research for the completion of her M.A. degree at the University of Santa Clara Santa Clara California. Out of curiosity Sr. Judy Rinek S.N.J.M. asked Almita to guide her through her journal retreat. It was such a powerful experience Sr. Judy sought ways to make this more available to others. After she began to facilitate this journal retreat for others she discovered additional spiritual directors who also felt drawn to utilize it. Thus a need for a handbook arose. Collaborating with Almita Sr. Judy updated her original research in the background sections and incorporated the practical tips that spiritual directors had discovered over the past ten years of working with those making this unique individualized retreat. Some of the practical concerns are in the format of questions and answers. The annotated bibliography is very useful for in-depth study and further resources. In addition those seeking a model for praying in depth a story in Scripture will find this handbook invaluable.