Convener's Corner
Greetings from the Buckeye State and the brothers of the Ohio Chapter of Illuman.
Ohio Illuman was formed about eight years ago. We are a smaller chapter. This is in large part because we do not host a Men’s Rites of Passage (MROP). Our focus in Ohio has been on seasonal retreats and local Councils. Not all Illuman chapters host the MROP, and I believe this is as it should be.
Ohio Illuman began slowly, clustered in Cleveland around a group of four men who were initiated because one friend told another about the rites. Two of these brothers had experience in education, with boys in particular, and were interested in developing a youth rites. This was our main reason for becoming a formal chapter of Illuman. We collaborated with Illuman Weaver Joel Blunk while he was still in Pennsylvania, learning about his Crossings initiation program, sponsored by his church. We subsequently held three Crossings in Ohio, but have since stopped because of the great difficulty in recruiting young men to participate. You can watch a great discussion of youth rites, hosted by the Australian chapter of Illuman with Illuman Weaver Adrian Scott.
We have grown organically by reaching out to men who have completed the rites, initially through the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) M.A.L.Es program, and now through Illuman, as well as networking with other men’s groups. We started by gathering to watch CAC webcasts with Richard Rohr in my basement near Cleveland in 2009. A second Council was begun in Cincinnati, which has now expanded to include Dayton. A Cleveland man moved to Columbus and begun a Council there. Akron and Bellville followed.
I strongly believe that Council is the backbone of Illuman. It is where the ongoing work of transformation and walking shoulder to shoulder happens. Most of us would not be here without having participated in an MROP, but Illuman’s work is now twofold. Yes, our primary program is the Men’s Rites of Passage. It is a highly transformative program, but we learned, over time, that if men have nowhere to take this experience, it may be squandered. Illuman has lost contact with many brothers who were initiated in the earlier years through the CAC and, because there was no community of men when they returned, they were often left cracked open and disoriented. Also, what
about those men who are unable to make the rites because of work, family, or monetary issues, oftentimes our younger brothers and brothers of color? This is why I feel so strongly about local (and now virtual) Councils. Local Councils are an excellent, low-cost (free) entry point into Illuman. So, we work to promote the rites in Illinois and Washington, DC, but do not feel called or capable of hosting a rites ourselves.
Our other area of focus is hosting seasonal retreats. We are gifted with being home to Illuman brother Brian Mueller, who, with Tom Sparough, has been leading a writing retreat for men that has become an annual event each January. Like other chapters in this era of COVID-19, we have opted to move to an online retreat in 2021. This is great news for those of you not residing in the Midwest, because now you can participate as well. Brian presented a breakout session on writing at Soularize last month, and I hope you got a chance to view it. The video will be posted to Illuman’s YouTube Channel soon. Please consider joining your Ohio Illuman brothers for Men Writing 2021: Of Sound Mind and Heart, January 8 and 9, 2021. You can learn more about the retreat and register here.
In Ohio we have our own version of the Illuman Welcome. When I say “O- H!” you say “I-O!”
Chuck Rihm, Convener
Ohio Chapter of Illuman
"Without us God will not. But without God, we can not."
~ Fr. Richard Rohr
