Transitions in a Time of Pandemic: Uprooting and Planting

These last two years of pandemic have presented many challenges to individuals, families, and those of us in the workplace. One of the deeper challenges has been the experience of transition, sometimes expected, but often not. We have been left feeling confused, disoriented and not well equipped to gracefully manage and work with transition in life and work.

In this teaching we will first bring a name and understanding to the many faces of our manifold experience of transition, then we will explore the possible treasure buried in the experience of uprootedness that transitions can bring upon us. Finally, we will see what “tools for the journey” we can bring with us as we meet other transitions that inevitably come our way in living an engaged life.

Fernando Serna, M. Div., BCC, has, for the past 40 years, engaged at the granular and macro level in the areas of spirituality, spiritual direction, education, leadership, and inter-religious dialogue. Fernando has lived these various experiences in two broad contexts. First, as a member of a monastic community for 30 years where he served as abbot for 14 of those years. Second, after transitioning to life as a married man, he has been serving as a hospital chaplain for the last 10 years.

Fernando places himself at the service of bringing compassion and quiet presence to places of brokenness, while celebrating emergencies of wisdom and vision in the lives of fellow humans.