THE BLOG OF THE BON SECOURS RETREAT & CONFERENCE CENTER

Retreat with Us

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’.

July 7, 2023

Patient Trust

We're continuing with our series on Teilhard and Merton today as we look forward to the "Images of God in Teilhard and Merton" retreat that begins on Sunday. (You can click here to learn more about the retreat.) Patience can be so difficult, especially when seeking important answers. May this prayer by Teilhard ease some of your anxiety today.   Patient Trust by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally…

Read More...

growth, patience, Teilhard
July 5, 2023

A Prayer for Anyone

As we perpare for Sr. Kathleen Duffy's "Images of God in Teilhard and Merton" retreat that begins this Sunday (click here to learn more), we will be sharing words of wisdom from both mystics. Fr. James Martin has said that this is "a prayer anyone can pray" so we hope that you will appreciate it here.   “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know…

Read More...

Fr. Michael Schleupner
July 2, 2023

Prayers for Independence Day

As we celebrate the 4th of July on Tuesday, we hope that you will take a quiet moment away from backyard barbeques and fireworks to pray with us. Let us lift our gratitude for this beautiful country and also pray for God's guidance as we take responsibility and care for the land and the people who call America home, as well as those who seek refuge here. May God bless the United States of America. God, source of all freedom,…

Read More...

veterans day, prayer
June 30, 2023

God Hears!

The poem/prayer below was shared by the Sisters of Bon Secours Associates ministry (click here to learn more) this week. We hope that it reassures you that God is listening today. Amen. GOD HEARS! More Hope... God hears. God hears our fancy, formal, memorized prayers, fingers slipping over beads. God hears our bitter, angry prayers. Why, God??? How??? What am I supposed to do now, God??? God hears our tiny, whispered pleas. Every single word. Please. Help. Be near. Or…

Read More...

man praying
June 28, 2023

Shoes tell a story. A love story.

Today's blog comes from author and retreat presenter, Mary DeTurris Poust. Mary will be with us this fall for her inspiring "Be Here Now: Discovering the Divine in the Everyday" retreat, September 29 - October 1 (click here). She's sharing a recent article with us about a whisper from God while kneeling in church recently. What perspective does this give you? Shoes tell a story. A love story. Mary DeTurris Poust If eyes are the windows to the soul, I…

Read More...

June 25, 2023

Giving Thanks for Summer

Summer is officially here! Guests are enjoying their summer retreats and everyone is always welcome to walk the beautiful grounds. Enjoy the sunshine and give thanks! Giving Thanks for Summer Father, Creator of all, thank You for summer! Thank you for the warmth of the sun and the increased daylight. Thank You for the beauty I see all around me and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation. Thank You for the increased time I have to…

Read More...

st. joseph, pond
June 23, 2023

Blessings of Rain from Heaven

We have had a severe drought in Maryland over the last month or so. The rain this week has been such a blessing! We're thankful for how it is nourishing our dry grass, flowers, shrubs and trees. Our pond is in need of replenishment from the rainfall too, so we're hopeful that it will make an impact this week. The animals are sheltering, but we know that they are also grateful for the water resources that they need. Let's take…

Read More...

present moment, God's presence
June 21, 2023

Called to Make Connections

Andrea Springer, frequent retreat presenter at the Center, writes today's blog. She inspires us to connect to others though a few wise teachers. Will you be more conscious of the interactions you have with others today after reading this? Share with us! Be a lamp or a lifeboat or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. ~ Rumi This quote by 13th century poet Rumi is a reminder for me to pay attention…

Read More...

Andrea Springer
June 18, 2023

Celebrating Dads Today & Juneteenth Tomorrow

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there! We celebrate you today! 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 remember the many sacrifices fathers make for their children and families, and the ways--both…

Read More...

Celebrate Father's Day & Juneteenth
June 16, 2023

Shake Us From Our Slumber

On Monday we will be celebrating 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 day of…

Read More...

juneteenth prayer