Welcome to the Bon Secours Retreat & Conference Center’s blog! This blog will extend our retreat ministry by bringing prayers and reflections into your home ‘retreat’. Many of our presenters and staff share their homilies, favorite prayers and reflections through this medium. We encourage you to comment, pass it along to friends or simply take a moment to pray with us. We hope that this will serve as a moment during your day when you can ‘retreat with us’.
Andrea Springer is a regular face at Bon Secours and her words regularly appear on our blog. Today we are sharing her thoughts of Joan Chittister's book, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope. Let us know in the comments: are you like Andrea, and need the reminder to loosen your grip? Or does that come naturally to you? The last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time with Joan Chittister’s book, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope. If you haven’t…
At the end of August, we are welcoming Lori and Bob Fontana for a Christian Marriage Retreat. But before they arrive at the Retreat and Conference Center, they will spend the summer in El Paso, TX serving at the Annunciation House. The "A-House" serves the homeless poor and those in need of food, shelter, clothing and medical attention that are waiting for asylum paperwork to be processed. They will spend their summer cleaning, doing laundry, making meals for those in…
For our local friends, you likely know that there is major construction unfolding near our campus. While the outcome will make for smoother travel to and from Rt. 70, the two-month long road work can pose significant stress. So today we are sharing a prayer from Rev. Terry Stokes and his book Prayer for the People, Things We Didn't Know We Could Say to God to help us navigate the traffic challenges. For those not impacted by this particular road work, save…
As we prepare for the Fourth of July holiday, join us in prayer to commemorate the day the United States officially became its own country. God, source of all freedom, this day is bright with the memory of those that declared that life and liberty are your gift to every human being. Help us to continue a good work begun long ago. Make our vision clear and our will strong; that only in human solidarity will we find liberty, and…
In just a few weeks, longtime activist, author, and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Father John Dear will spend the weekend at the Retreat and Conference Center leading a retreat dedicated to living life focused on peace, not violence. Fr. John has dedicated his life and work to the concept that Jesus was the greatest person of nonviolence in history. The weekend retreat, Following the Nonviolent Jesus will explore a spirituality of peace and nonviolence for ourselves, that we might do…
In a special blog post today, we celebrate Juneteenth. Within the African American community, Juneteenth is known as a second “Independence Day”. It is a holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas, and more generally the emancipation of African American slaves throughout the Confederate South. This was more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. With continued acts of racism in our country, it's especially important to recognize this…
Today, we celebrate the fathers in our lives. Please join us in a prayer of thanks for the men that support and care for us all year round... Fathers in Our Lives We give our thanks, Creator God, for the fathers in our lives. Fatherhood does not come with a manual, and reality teaches us that some fathers excel while others fail. We ask for Your blessings for them all and forgiveness where it is needed. This Father's Day we…
What do you call God? Do you have a special way of referring to the Divine? Have you even thought out giving God a different name? Linda Mastro, a regular retreat presenter, shares this exercise to create a deeper bond with God. Linda will be at the Center for a weekend retreat June 21-23 for a women's retreat: Re-imagining Prayer. The weekend will include conversation, silence, movement, and contemplation, all of which create an environment for deep listening and heartfelt…
Today we have a special edition Wednesday blog post to share by one of our presenters, Carl McColman. Carl will be leading a day retreat, Saturday, June 8 about Christian Spirituality and Gender Diversity. Today's blog will give us some insights into what the retreat will dive into! Find out more about Joan of Arc to Pauli Murray: A Day of Reflection on Christian Spirituality & Gender Diversity by clicking here. What Pronouns Would God Prefer? The wisdom of a medieval…
This week's blog post is written by Sr. Sara Dwyer, a regular retreat presenter at the Center. She will be leading a week-long retreat in August and this post is a little snapshot of what the week will hold. You can learn more about the retreat and Sr. Sara by clicking HERE. Whispers of Grace I chose “Whispers of Grace” as the title for a weeklong retreat because that’s how I generally experience grace in my life. Grace is the…
