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’.
In the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke we read: “Why do you search for the living One among the dead?” It is so easy to call this picture to mind, being in the garden before the empty tomb of the two messengers speaking to the women who have come to the tomb. It could be very provocative for us to allow this question to be asked directly to ourselves. “Why do you or I search for the living…
A few years ago, a Muslim man was visiting a small Trappist monastery in the Northern African country of Algeria. This Muslim and the abbot of the monastery were friends and he was delighted to take his guest on a tour of the monastery. Eventually they came to the chapel. The Muslim stopped and gazed wistfully at the crucifix. After what seemed like several minutes of silence, the abbot asked his friend what he saw in the cross. The Muslim…
Fr. Nicholas Amato, a frequent presenter at our Center for many years, was scheduled to guide our annual Triduum retreat along with Fr. Michael Schleupner. We're so disappointed to have to cancel, but glad that we can all be safe at home and read this poignant reflection by Fr. Nicholas today. Today, Holy Thursday, begins the most solemn time of the year, called the Sacred Triduum. Before the pandemic we would have gathered around the altar of our local church…
Fr. Patrick Bergquist is a familiar face at our Center. He has celebrated Mass in our Chapel many times and has also led retreats. He'll be a spiritual director during our long weekend directed retreat at the end of June. You can click here to learn more about him. Fr. Pat offers this poetic reflection as we enter these holy days to mark the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Let's remember that we're in God's presence and prayerfully read. A…
A friend of our Center responded to one of last week's blog posts with this poem by her friend, Catherine Coundjeris. Catherine wanted to share her poem with our community too. Our lives certainly changed just a few weeks ago, during the month of March. Catherine writes this poem about one of those major changes to our lives, the inability to gather in our churches and chapels for Mass. After you read it, please share if the absence of your…
In addition to serving as the Director of the Associates for the Sisters of Bon Secours, Amy Kulesa also leads some of our retreats at the Retreat & Conference Center. She oversees and often facilitates our weekly Centering Prayer sessions and this December she'll be leading a Centering Prayer weekend retreat during the Advent season. You can click here to learn more about her. Let's take a quiet moment to read this reflection by Amy. The Call to Sabbath In…
Andrea Springer offers today's post. Andrea has presented retreats many times at the Retreat & Conference Center and she will be the feature presenter for our annual Women's Wellness retreat this September. The theme this year will be 'Present with Purpose' and you can read more about the retreat and about Andrea by clicking here. As we struggle to connect with our communities during the pandemic, take a moment to read this insightful reflection. Community of the Long Haul Not…
Fr. Robert Albright has presented retreats at our Center for many years and is a great friend of our community. He offers this reflection, based on an Egyptian Maat. Here is a definition of 'maat' according to Britannica.com: "In its abstract sense, maat was the divine order established at creation and reaffirmed at the accession of each new king of Egypt. In [this] setting maat ‘order’ in place of isfet ‘disorder,’..." Let's contemplate this maat from Fr. Bob today. WISDOM…
Gordon Creamer writes today's post about Holy Week approaching. Gordon presents many retreats for us throughout the year, such as the grief, caregiver's and Dinner & Dialogue programs. He also guides annual summer weekend retreats and this year the theme will be "A Sacred Encounter with Jesus & Rumi: the Very Heart of Love". You can click here to learn more about it. Let's take a moment to breathe, to remember we're in God's presence and to reflect on this…
Today's post comes from presenter Susan Boruff. Susan often presents retreats at our Center with Kathy Anderson and they have a ministry together, Take Twelve Today. Their next retreat will be held June 17-21 and the theme is "Healing Our World One Person at a Time: Discovering How God's Love Transforms Ourselves, Our Families, Our Communities and Our World". What a poignant theme for everything that we're experiencing during this pandemic! To learn more about the retreat and these presenters,…
