Creating authentic communities

Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright to anchor Lenten speaker series at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral

On Saturday, February 24, Atlanta-based author and speaker Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright will lead a retreat at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Jackson. Wright’s presentation will be based on her book Dignity: Seven Strategies for Creating Authentic Community. The retreat, which lasts from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and includes lunch, is open to the public—the registration fee is $50 and participants are encouraged to register at standrews.ms/lent. Wright will also give a shorter presentation on Sunday, February 25, at 9:30 a.m. as part of the free speaker series.

The retreat with Wright is the headlining event in a series during the season of Lent entitled Creation Care as Care of the Soul, which seeks to renew the connection between humanity and the rest of creation. In addition to Wright’s retreat, the series will feature a speaker each Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.:

• Sunday, February 18 | Dr. Michelle Petro Pharr, photographer, gardener, and medical doctor
• Sunday, February 25 | Sarah-Beth Wright, PhD, author of Dignity: Seven Strategies for Creating Authentic Community
• Sunday, March 3 | The Reverend Pete Nunnally, priest at St. David’s Episcopal Church, Wilmington, Delaware
• Sunday, March 10 | Deborah Mann, PhD, retired professor of biology from Millsaps College

In conjunction with his presentation, Nunnally will lead a fishing retreat on Saturday, March 2.

“It is such an honor to have Dr. Wright join us,” says The Very Rev. Anne M. Maxwell, Dean of the Cathedral. “I had the privilege to attend a retreat with her in the fall. It gave me both theological reflection and valuable insight into communities. It also challenged me personally to consider the authenticity of my life.”

Authenticity is a core theme of Wright’s books and her teaching.

“Authentic living means bridging the gap between who we aspire to be and who we are in reality,” she says. “Authentic people make authentic communities which help to make a more authentic world.”

Wright works nationwide, encouraging individuals, communities, and institutions to develop the capacity for change and transformation. She is the author of eight books, including fiction, nonfiction, meditations, and children’s books. She currently serves as the Director of Enrollment Management at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Emory School of Medicine. A former professor at NYU and Spelman College, she holds a PhD in Performance Studies from New York University, an MPhil in Anthropology from Cambridge University and a BA from Princeton University in Sociology and Afro-American studies. Originally from Jamaica, she has lived and studied worldwide, from Edinburgh, Scotland to San Juan, Puerto Rico. She is married to Robert C. Wright, the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta. They are parents to 5 children.