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’.
Fr. Michael concludes his series on Pope Francis today with great insight into this culture of care. Maybe there is one suggestion of providence that you can apply from this message. As we watch the season change and reflect on this time of thanksgiving, let us care for creation in a special, meaningful way. Pope Francis - 5 Dear Friends, In his encyclical Laudato Si’ – On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis calls us to a culture of…
Today's post comes from retreat presenter, Susan Boruff. She shares insight from scripture about focusing on the love of God, even during the darkness of the pandemic. We hope that this will inspire and reassure you today. Love Wins “Love said to me, there is nothing that is not me. Be silent.” ~Rumi If the battle between good and evil has already been won, why don’t we act like winners? Winners for love. If we can take the words of…
Fr. Michael Schleuper offers another reflection in his series about Pope Francis. Are you familiar with Laudato Si? Fr. Michael shares his thoughts on this letter and and easy way for us to apply these insights to our daily lives. Pope Francis - 4 Dear Friends, In 2015, Pope Francis wrote an encyclical on the earth, our environment – the first encyclical ever written on this topic. (By the way, an encyclical is a long letter that popes write on…
Today's post comes from Jen Murphy, Manager of Retreats & Events at the Center. Let's read about how she's lifting her spirits right now. Breaking the Rules to Find the Light I am what you would call a Christmas enthusiast. I love everything Christmas...the special church services, songs, movies, pageants and the decorations. I enjoy finding the perfect gifts for family members, driving around looking at lights, the smell of Christmas cookies in the oven and the many special…
Today's post comes from retreat presenter, Susan Boruff. Let's read about her lessons from scripture that encourage us to examine our hearts with compassion. Love in Action “Whatever arises, love that.” Matt Kahn Give yourself permission to spend some time with God. You might want to light a candle to remind you that God is in you and around you, the light of the world and the Light within us-Christ in you. St. Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:7 that…
Today's post is based on a recent homily that Fr. Michael Schleupner gave at Mass for the Sisters of Bon Secours. Let's prayerfully read this lesson from scripture and remember to welcome all of God's children into our hearts. Including Others for Spiritual Wholeness Readings: Philippians 1:1-11, Luke 14:1-6 This morning I want to point out two details in the gospel. And I think each detail has some lesson for us. First, today we see the fourth time in Luke’s…
Today, we pause for a quiet prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Will you take a few moments in silence...light a candle...breathe deeply in and out and pray with us? Come, Holy Spirit, and fill my heart with Your gifts. Let my love be true and my charity be generous. Help me in all my needs, and grant me knowledge to do what is right. Advise me in my doubts, strengthen me in my weakness, protect me…
Oftentimes when we're catching up with friends or family members, we hear that their hearts are heavy with all that is going on in the world. Sometimes it's difficult to find words of comfort when the pandemic is so stressful for everyone. Today, we offer this poetic prayer, a blessing, that you can share with others. May it offer care and comfort to those with whom you share it. What is a blessing but a rain of grace falling…
Today's blog features Fr. Michael Schleupner's continuation of the Pope Francis series. Although many of us cannot gather in our churches right now, we hope that you feel the community of believers around you and maybe you can even reach out to members of your community today. Pope Francis - 2 Dear Friends, Pope Francis emphasizes faith as a “personal encounter with Jesus Christ.” He is also very clear that this encounter is made possible through the faith community,…
Today we pause for peace and calm. Let's take a quiet moment to "walk" around the grounds of the Center, admiring the colors around us. Will you pray with us? Prayer for Peace and Calm Dear Lord and Father of humankind, Forgive our foolish ways; Reclothe us in our rightful mind, In purer lives Thy service find, In deeper reverence, praise. Drop Thy still dews of quietness, Till all our strivings cease; Take from our souls the strain and stress,…
