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’.
This month, we celebrate Black History Month. Let's take a moment to prayerfully reflect on how we can shine a light on the many contributions of those who were pushed to the shadows in the past. May God teach all of us to see the humanity in everyone and advocate for justice. Prayer for Black History Month Spirit of Abundance, God of Grace, Mother of Hope, We pause now to remember those stories that are all around us, But so…
Fr. Michael Schleupner, frequent retreat presenter at our Center, offers the 4th reflection in his series about Spiritual Wellness. It provides insight into how we communicate with God about all of our feelings, which leads to healing. How do you make time for the "inner life"? Spiritual Wellness - 4 Live An Inner Life Dear Friends, Few, if any of us need to be reminded to live an “outer life.” Most of the time, we are outer-focused – interacting with…
Winter in all of Our Lives There is a winter in all of our lives, a chill and darkness that makes us yearn for days that have gone or put our hope in days yet to be. Father God, you created seasons for a purpose. Spring is full of expectation buds breaking frosts abating and an awakening of creation before the first days of summer. Now the sun gives warmth and comfort to our lives reviving aching joints bringing colour,…
Fr. Michael Schleupner continues his series on spiritual wellness today and focuses on prayer. Do you have a favorite method of prayer? If so, please comment and share. Are you seeking a new way to pray? There are several suggestions below. Spiritual Wellness - 3 Make Time to Pray Dear Friends, Maybe it sounds obvious or even trite, but it is important to state this. Spiritual wellness must include some time to pray. For the overwhelming majority of us, this…
We continue Fr. Michael Schleupner's series on spiritual wellness today with gratitude for his willingness to share with our blog audience! We hope that this reflection reinforces the knowledge that YOU are a child of God and provides inspiration for spiritual wellness today. Spiritual Wellness - 2 See Yourself As Beloved Dear Friends, Last week I began this series on Spiritual Wellness with the importance of staying centered on Christ. That, I believe, must come first - there is no…
We're finishing up our Winter Directed Retreat tomorrow and many of our guests have already shared on their evaluations how grateful they have been for this time of spiritual direction, silence and stillness. Are you able to take a few quiet moments, listening to God's voice today? In the Stillness by Katy Kauffman In the stillness when it’s just You and me I can be candid, I can be free To express what I’m feeling and going through I…
Tomorrow, we commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. and the incredible contributions that he made to racial justice, peace and spirituality. Many of the popular quotes that share his wisdom and passion will be shared across all forms of media tomorrow, but it isn't as common to see or hear his beautiful prayers, so we selected this particularly inspiring one. Will you take a few quiet moments to pray with us? Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite…
Today we begin sharing a series on spiritual wellness by friend of the Center, Fr. Michael Schleupner. We're grateful that he shares his posts with our audience and even more grateful for his presence! He's at the Center this week for our Winter Directed Retreat and also celebrating daily Mass in our Chapel. Thank you, Fr. Michael! Let's take a few moments to read his insights about Scripture and scholars. Spiritual Wellness - 1 Staying Centered on Jesus Dear Friends,…
Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It is set aside to educate people around the world about forms of trafficking, how to identify it and how help those in need. According to the World Vision website: There are 25 million in forced labor 40.3 million adults and children are in forced labor and sexual slavery One in four modern slaves is a child. 14 countries are without adequate laws to prevent trafficking. These are staggering figures. Most people in…
Today marks the Feast of Epiphany, the day that Jesus was presented to the Gentiles through the Magi. It can be viewed as a symbol of our pilgrimage to life through Christ. Imagine the journey of these kings, Persian priests...following a star...relying on this astrological knowledge and years of study...yet guided by faith to endure. Where are you on your pilgrimage today? Are you still seeking the Light? Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the…
