Friday, June 21 - Sunday, June 23, 2024
Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center, Marriottsville, MD
“These are some of the things that prayer is. Prayer is rhythm. Prayer is comfort. Prayer is disappointment. Prayer is words and shape and art around desperation, and delight and disappointment and desire. Prayer can be the art that helps you name your desire.”
~ Padraig O Tuama
In this weekend retreat we will explore prayer practices that invite us to a new relationship with God, with ourselves, and with the people in our lives. Our time together will include conversation, silence, movement, and contemplation, all of which create an environment for deep listening and heartfelt response.
The retreat begins on Friday evening and concludes on Sunday afternoon. Activities will include body prayer, journaling, lectio divina, walking meditation, and other experiences that bring our bodies, minds, and spirits into the act of authentic prayer.
Friday, October 25 – Sunday, October 27, 2024
Hosted by the Retreat House
At the Foehliage Retreat Center in Galena, MD
Guided by Linda Mastro
There are moments when rules
are meant to be broken; when
bursting out of context is the
sole way to see with new eyes.
There are fences built only to
be torn down. The slats look
solid, but no one drove the nails
in tight. There are barricades
around the heart asking to be
breached. Sooner or later we
all run out of excuses for
staying small and safe.
~ Danna Faulds
As young girls we dream of what we will do when we grow up. As we grow, opportunities call us to careers, relationships, and adventures. As the decades roll by, we find ourselves entertaining different questions: Who am I, deep inside? What brings me joy? How do I reconsider old stories? What visions draw me into the future?
This retreat welcomes all of who you are, from dreaming, to adventuring, to reconsidering. We will step back in time to appreciate the joys and challenges that have made us the women who we are today. We will imagine how our life experiences have prepared us for new roles, changing health, and the possibilities of unlived dreams. Our retreat will include time for silent rest and reflection, heart-enriching conversation, and mindful prayer and movement. You will take home practices that will inspire you to live each day more fully into your unique and precious life.
The retreat begins with dinner on Friday evening and ends with a prayer service and brunch on Sunday. The cost of the retreat includes five nutritious meals, lodging, and all materials.
"Sooner or later we/all run out of excuses for
staying small and safe."
~ Danna Faulds
Next retreat to be announced!
This retreat is an invitation to pay attention to how a New Year is calling you to respond to the questions, desires, and inspirations arising from within. In addition to heart-opening conversations we will use poetry, prayer, music, silence, movement, journaling, and other contemplative practices to learn more about our relationship to God, to ourselves, and to the world around us.
All that you need to bring is your self, your senses, and a willingness to see where God may be leading you. Women of all faith traditions are welcome. You will go home from the retreat with insights and practices to continue the art of spiritual attentiveness.
“Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart” is inspired by the book Lost in Wonder: Rediscovering the Spiritual Art of Attentiveness by Esther De Waal.
The retreat begins with dinner on Friday and a short gathering to set the tone for the weekend. Participants will be encouraged to spend the evening in silence.
Saturday’s program will flow in and out of silence, with plenty of time for journaling, walking on the grounds, reflection, and conversation. The retreat will be completed on Sunday morning with a closing celebration.
“What is a blessing? A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal, and strengthen. Life is a constant flow of emergence. The beauty of blessings is its belief that it can affect what unfolds.”
John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings.
This retreat is an opportunity to remember that every day is holy and that, when we pay attention, we can be blessed by the ordinary of our relationships, environments, and work. Blessing is a form of prayer that draws our attention to the people, places, and activities that open our hearts, bring us joy, and connect us to what often goes unnoticed. We will use scripture and poetry as models for how to receive and give blessings, a prayer process that can set the tone for the upcoming holy seasons. Activities will include group discussion, silent time for reflection, practicing the art form of blessings through writing, music and movement.
I enjoy designing retreats for groups using a theme they provide or creating experiences that fill the needs and interest of the group. Silence, movement, conversation, prayer, music, poetry, and laughter are some of the ingredients that I blend for a few hours, a day, a weekend , and series of sessions.
Time, location, and cost are customized to meet the needs of your group.
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Cover image: "Northern Lights" by Mary Southard