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’.
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Today's reflection comes from the pages of Joyce Rupp's "Anchors for the Soul". Whether you're on a retreat at the Center or just need to few quiet moments to reflect at home, this is a great starting point to step away from the daily stress in our lives and listen to God's voice within. Now, let's take a few deep breaths and then read the following... Stillness stillness just stillness like my world seldom knows. inside I have an…
As we begin to take vacations this summer, let us remember to be still in our everyday too. We found this beautiful, calming meditation video and found that it pairs well with scripture for a prayerful pause in our day. Let us know your thoughts too! “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” ~Psalm 37:7 “Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest…
