Defiant Love: Nurturing Resilient Community is the 2026 CSC Gathering, held October 30 through November 1 at Mercy Retreat Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Register here.
More than a conference, the weekend is designed as a participatory experience of learning, ritual, creativity, ecological consciousness, and community. Together we will explore what it means to nurture resilient communities capable of responding to difficult times with courage, imagination, responsibility, joy, and what we are calling "Defiant Love."
The Gathering brings together many voices rather than centering a single keynote. Matthew Fox, Brian Swimme, Ursula Goodenough, J. D. Stillwater, Nancy Ellen Abrams, and others will contribute through dialogue, presentations, ritual, storytelling, and shared reflection. Participants will also learn with St. Louis educators and storytellers exploring land, labor, memory, and legacy, and hear emerging voices from young filmmakers and artists reflecting on their relationship with Earth and the future they are inheriting. Read more below in the Voices of the Gathering.
Defiant Love: Nurturing Resilient Community
Dates: October 30 to November 1, 2026
Location: Mercy Retreat Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Participation: In person or online through selected livestreamed sessions
Registration: Residential, commuter, and virtual participation options are available
One of the distinctive experiences of the weekend will be Saturday evening's All Beings Cosmic Masquerade, a participatory Halloween celebration weaving together masks, ritual, music, movement, storytelling, grief, gratitude, and ecological imagination. Rather than simply talking about hope and resilience, the Masquerade invites participants to embody them together through creativity and celebration.
Come deepen your connection with one another, the living Earth, Spirit, the cosmos, and your fullest self as we imagine what faithful, loving resistance can look like in difficult times.
Early Registration Encouraged
We would love to know you are coming. Register for your Residential Weekend Pass by September 18, 2026 to receive the early registration discount. After that date, the sale price will end and the standard registration price will apply.
Register Early — Receive a Free Goodie Package!
the first 25 people who register for a Virtual Weekend Pass with a $50 donation by September 15 will receive a beautifully curated Goodie Package, lovingly underwritten by an anonymous angel. This exclusive package includes:
A candle for use during each session
A finger labyrinth
A printed agenda
...and other delightful surprises!
Come gather, connect, and help shape the conversation.
Tickets and Registration
Defiant Love: Nurturing Resilient Community is the 2026 CSC Gathering, held October 30 through November 1 at Mercy Retreat Center in St. Louis, Missouri. More than a conference, this participatory weekend invites us into ritual, learning, creativity, ecological consciousness, embodied spiritual activism, grief, gratitude, and communal imagination as we cultivate resilient communities capable of faithful, loving dissent in difficult times.
Single Room Residential Weekend Pass includes participation in the full Gathering for 1 individual, lodging in a private single room at Mercy Retreat Center on Friday and Saturday night, and meals during the weekend for 1 individual.
Defiant Love: Nurturing Resilient Community is the 2026 CSC Gathering, held October 30 through November 1 at Mercy Retreat Center in St. Louis, Missouri. More than a conference, this participatory weekend invites us into ritual, learning, creativity, ecological consciousness, embodied spiritual activism, grief, gratitude, and communal imagination as we cultivate resilient communities capable of faithful, loving dissent in difficult times.
This Commuter Pass includes onsite participation in the Gathering for the option you select below. Lodging is not included.
Weekend pass includes Friday dinner, Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner.
Saturday pass includes Saturday lunch, and Saturday dinner.
Select either the Full Weekend Commuter Pass or the Saturday Commuter Pass from the dropdown menu below.
Defiant Love: Nurturing Resilient Community is the 2026 CSC Gathering, held October 30 through November 1 at Mercy Retreat Center in St. Louis, Missouri. More than a conference, this participatory weekend invites us into ritual, learning, creativity, ecological consciousness, embodied spiritual activism, grief, gratitude, and communal imagination as we cultivate resilient communities capable of faithful, loving dissent in difficult times.
This Virtual Weekend Pass includes livestream access to the Gathering, allowing you to join selected sessions online from wherever you are. Participate in the weekend’s learning, reflection, ritual, and community connection across distance as we gather in the spirit of Defiant Love.
Select your Virtual Weekend Pass option from the list below. Full Conference Support is the suggested contribution. Additional options are available so participants can choose the level of support that best fits their circumstances.
Defiant Love: Nurturing Resilient Community is the 2026 CSC Gathering, held October 30 through November 1 at Mercy Retreat Center in St. Louis, Missouri. More than a conference, this participatory weekend invites us into ritual, learning, creativity, ecological consciousness, embodied spiritual activism, grief, gratitude, and communal imagination as we cultivate resilient communities capable of faithful, loving dissent in difficult times.
Shared Room Residential Weekend Pass includes participation in the full Gathering for 2 individuals, lodging in a shared room at Mercy Retreat Center on Friday and Saturday night, and meals for 2 individuals during the weekend.
Earth Spirit Award
Your voice matters, especially in a world you are being asked to inherit. The CSC Earth Spirit Award invites high school students to create a short video sharing how today’s challenges are affecting them and what kind of future they hope to help create for themselves, their communities, and Earth.
Express yourself through storytelling, poetry, spoken word, music, dance, art, or another creative form. You may participate individually or as a team. Two students or teams will each receive a $1,000 cash award. Click below to learn more about the award, submission guidelines, and how to enter.
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