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…
During our staff planning meeting this week, Rainey Taylor, Sales Manager, shared this beautiful reflection from Joyce Rupp's "Anchors for the Soul". As our July Directed Retreat finishes up tomorrow, we hope that this has been a special week of Sabbath Time for the guests. Maybe this reflection will inspire your quiet time at home, work or outdoors too? Sabbath Time The only sounds breaking the immense quiet are crickets humming and the first yawns of robins and cardinals. My…
As we look forward to welcoming our 8-Day Ignatian Directed Retreat guests on Saturday, we thought it would be nice to share some of the gifts from St. Ignatius with you over the next few blogs. We found this beautiful video to accompany The Daily Examen Prayer. Let's unwind and focus on words that St. Ignatius shared so long ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVItxNMrNnw
Today's post is a homily that Fr. Michael Schleupner shared on Sunday and we think it's a perfect fit for our blog today. We're also looking forward to welcoming Fr. Michael back to the Center in a few weeks for our July Directed Retreat, where he will be personally leading a small group of retreat guests on their spiritual journey. Let's reflect on his insights from Scripture that can be applied in three steps within on our own journeys. A…
Several retreat guests will arrive today to begin their 3-night or 6-night Directed Retreat. These retreats are offered periodically throughout the year and offer a time of silence for guests. They meet with a spiritual director for one hour per day and attend Mass, if they'd like, but otherwise spend time reflecting, praying, reading and writing on their own within an environment of silence. Many seek this retreat annually to reconnect with the still, small voice within and they leave…
Today's post comes from favorite retreat presenter, Fr. Michael Schleupner. He shared the following as we reflect on the Epiphany this week. Fr. Michael, and three other spiritual directors, will be leading retreat guests on a silent directed retreat at our Center, beginning this Friday. Please keep them in prayer as you contemplate the "ripples" of prayer too. A Stone and Ripples Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. ~Is.…
We are pleased to be bringing Sr. Chris Koellhoffer to our Center next spring for a Lenten retreat! She will present "The Lenten Summons to Green Our Lives" March 4-6 and you can click here to learn more. Sr. Chris is a gifted writer and today we're sharing a post from her blog, Mining the Now (click here to visit). It was written in July, but has an important lesson that we can carry throughout the seasons. Let's read about…
Last week, Rev. Stephen Wade served as a spiritual director on our August Directed Retreat. He has been guiding guests during this annual retreat for many years and enjoys his time at the Center each summer. During his downtime at the Center, you can often find him with his camera in hand. He shared these beautiful images with us below. The outdoor photos were taken in the evening and the Chapel photo was taken in the early morning hours. It's…
Today's blog is the last in a series from Fr. Michael Schleupner about the Ignatian Examen. Fr. Michael offers his insights about the value of the last step in this incredible prayer practice and another post with concluding thoughts for the series. Fr. Michael will be with us at the Center all week, serving as a spiritual director during our August Directed Retreat. We are praying for blessings on these retreat guests as they set aside this special quiet time…
Today's post is from Fr. Phil Cover who is currently serving a spiritual director on our directed retreat this week. He shared this beautiful homily during Mass on Monday and we thought you would enjoy it too. Let's take a few quiet moments to reflect together... Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr Scripture: Gn 18:16-33, Mt 8:18-22 As we begin this weeklong retreat, our first reading this morning directs our attention to prayer. The first thing our first reading…
