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 this last silent retreat of the summer, we share a reflection from Fr. Ron Rolheiser about the power of stillness. May you find stillness today as the summer begins to wind down. A Prayer for Stillness – Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI Be still and know that I am God. Scripture assures us that if we are still we will come to know God, but arriving at stillness is easier said than done. As Blaise Pascal once stated, “All the…
Today's post is another insightful homily by Fr. Michael Schleupner, based on lessons from Scripture and Mother Teresa. Fr. Michael returns to the Center today to serve as a spiritual director on our August Directed Retreat and we're thrilled to have him! Please hold our spiritual directors and guests in prayer as they journey through their own faith and trust this week. May this reading and post enrich your trust in God too. Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization…
How do you show that you care by listening? Share with us. Just Listen I suspect that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it is given from the heart. When people are talking, there is no need to do anything but receive them. Just take them in. Listen to what they are saying. Care…
“Fruits of the Spirit” by Max Lucado It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of…
August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Catholic Church. The Immaculate Heart represents the Mary's desire to bring all people to her Son. What a beautiful example of our Christian life Mary offers for all of us! The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” ~ Luke 1:28 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” ~ Luke 1:38…
So Today, of All Days, I Pray God gave me faith in myself, Not only on days when I’m doing great and winning And nothing seems impossible But on days when the whole world looks different… And I’m wear and the road ahead holds little promise. When my family is looking to me for strength When I wonder if I’m brave enough, smart enough And understanding the I must be crazy to try, don’t let me quit Lord, not…
Tessa Newton, Sisters of Bon Secours Program Manager of Fundraising (and former Sales & Marketing Manager for the Retreat & Conference Center), attended the sister's blessing of trees around our labyrinth last week. She shares about this circle of life on today's blog... When you have 313 acres of mostly wooded land, it comes as no surprise when a tree or two needs to be cut down. We have regular site visits from a local tree company to inspect, prune,…
Retreat presenter and spiritual director, Fr. Michael Schleupner, shares another inspiring homily with us today. What will you learn about these words that you've likely said over and over during your life? Thank you Fr. Michael! He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom…
Today's blog is written by retreat presenter, Andrea Springer. Andrea will be presenting a retreat that corresponds with this theme on Saturday, August 27 and you can click here if you'd like to learn more. Now, let's read her incredible insights about the courage we can each find within! Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~ Winston Churchill Winston Churchill really gets my attention with…
It was such a pleasure to have Fr. Michael Schleupner and Fr. Phil Cover with us last week for the directed retreat. They took turns celebrating Mass each day and Fr. Michael shared today's post on Friday for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. Let's see what we can learn about this amazing woman from scripture. On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw…
