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’.
During our annual Women's Wellness retreat, our feature presenter, Dr. Heather Alexander, shared a few poignant poems and we're passing one onto you today. Poetry can enrich our spiritual wellness in many ways and we invite you to consider the upcoming "Poetry, Faith, and Mystery" retreat on October 20 with Dr. Barry Casey too (click here for more information). May today's poem provide a visual guide to help you focus, provide peace and help you to open up to receive…
We were recently approached by the publishers of "BenchTalk", a new book being released next week. It features journal entries from many locations, including guests of our labyrinth! A project of Nature Sacred, they explain the contents: "For 25 years, stirred by nature, people from all walks of life, young and old, have been jotting down their wishes and worries, their grief and gratitude in little yellow journals. Waiting to be discovered by passersby, these waterproof journals are tucked beneath…
September 15 - October 15 is a month long period to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage. Today, we recognize the need to learn more about these rich cultures and to celebrate all that they have given to our history and the arts. Will you pray with us? God of all peoples and nations, Dios de todo el mundo — We praise you for your creativity made manifest in the gifts of tribes, ethnicities and cultures across the world. Each one…
Today's reflection is a homily shared by Fr. Michael Schleupner. We're so grateful to Fr. Michael for sharing his reflections with us! He can also be seen frequently at the Center, serving as a spiritual director during many of our directed retreats. Click here for his next retreat. Let's take a few moment now to read about his practical approach to forgiveness. Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church[a] sins against me, how…
We are anxiously anticipating next weekend's "Be Here Now" retreat with author Mary DeTurris Poust. It promises to be an inspiring weekend to help you slow down and focus, paying attention to the daily gifts that God shares with each one of us! Let's read more about it, borrowed from Mary's blog. You can read more about Mary on her website here. The Now is the greatest gift of life because to be in the given moment contains all other…
With autumn officially beginning this weekend, we are anticipating the beautiful strokes from God's paintbrush all around us. Although probably not a favorite season for our groundskeepers ;), many of us really treasure this colorful season at the Center. As we begin to watch the changes of the season it can often lead to thoughts of change within too. Let's pray for time to slow down to appreciate nature during this Fall season. Let us listen for God's voice in…
This week at the Center, our 5th group of participants in the Bon Secours Spiritual Direction Institute is working through the last of three week-long sessions within their certification program. These individuals have felt a calling to serve as a spiritual director to those in need or to deepen their own spirituality in new ways and we pray that they are inspired by the training that they are receiving. Just as the need for professional counseling has increased in recent…
Our annual Women's Wellness retreat is this weekend and it is sold out with women who are eager to relax, have fun and be renewed! The theme of our retreat this year is "Your Presence Matters!" and the gifted Dr. Heather Alexander will provide the feature presentations full of information to help our guests evaluate their priorities, relish each moment and then leave with new mindfulness practices to help them to slow down and to see God in their lives.…
Did you know that yesterday was National Encouragement Day? It's never too late to offer a word of encouragement to someone though, right? Sometimes simply being present with someone who is struggling can lift them up. If you, or someone you know, needs encouragement, we offer these prayers to share. Why not say each prayer, pause to meditate on the presence of the Spirit and then move into the next prayer? If you would like us to include you in…
Tomorrow marks the 22st anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. Can you remember where you were on that day of utter shock and sorrow? It is a day that is etched into our memory with fear and sadness, a day that changed our world forever. As we remember all of the lives lost and those who were deeply affected by the events of September 11, 2001, let's take a moment to join together, taking our sorrow to God in…
