This retreat is above all a time to rest in the Lord. 

You can expect a lot of free time to pray, go for a walk, journal, and read from Scripture. 
You will receive guided meditations on Scripture alongside the other women on the retreat. 

You can expect to have about 10 guided talks by Fr. Mike over the weekend, as well as time for Mass, Confession and for spiritual guidance, if requested.  At the end of the retreat, most people will have more clarity regarding God’s will for their lives and a deeper sense of peace that comes from Christ.

The weekend retreat will be silent.  For many, this sounds like a welcome way to spend a weekend, free from the noise of our busy lives.  For others, this may seem daunting.  But no need to fear. 

It means that instead of being a retreat with lots of group discussion, personal sharing times and interactive conferences, instead we will be listening to the guided reflections of the retreat director, and then assimilating them in our prayer times on our own. In a way, you can consider this not a “group” retreat, but a “personal” retreat.

There will be plenty of time for talking and sharing at the non-silent meals, which are the first dinner and the last lunch.   All other activities during the weekend are silent.

The Spiritual Exercises grew out of St. Ignatius Loyola’s personal experience as a man seeking to grow in union with God and to discern God’s will. He kept a journal as he gained spiritual insight and deepened his spiritual experience. He added to these notes as he directed other people and discovered what “worked.” Eventually, Ignatius gathered these prayers, meditations, reflections, and directions into a carefully designed framework of a retreat, which he called “spiritual exercises.”
 

Typically, the guided talks of the retreat will progress through 4 stages or “weeks”:

1. The first “week” of the Exercises is a time of reflection on our lives in light of God’s boundless love for us.
2. The  second “week’s” meditations and prayers teach us how to follow Christ as his disciples.
3. In the third “week”, we meditate on Christ’s Last Supper, passion, and death. We see his suffering and the gift of the Eucharist as the ultimate expression of God’s love.
4. Finally, in the fourth “week” we meditate on Jesus’ resurrection and his apparitions to his disciples. We walk with the risen Christ and set out to love and serve him in concrete ways in our lives in the world.

This retreat is for adult women who are parishioners of St. Gabriel church.

If you attended the "Reflect and Renew" women's silent retreat in August 2021,  we ask you not to register for this retreat.  We had a long waiting list in August, and Fr. Mike is offering that retreat again this April to allow other women of our parish to participate.   Thank you!

The parish is subsidizing the cost of the retreat.   Your $350 registration fee includes and helps pay for:

• Two nights in a private hotel-style room with private bath, linens and towels
• Retreat materials
• Six meals and snacks beginning with dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday.  Special dietary needs can be  accommodated with advance notice.

Full payment is due with registration.  

Cancellations:  Refunds are only available if another participant is able to fill your space.   

The retreat center will provide linens and towels. 

You may want to bring:

• Toiletries
• Alarm clock
• Casual clothes and dressier ones for Sunday Mass
• Walking shoes (in case you want to walk the grounds during free time)
• Bible
• Rosary
• Personal journal

We encourage you to turn off your cell phone and leave your laptop, tablet, and other electronics at home.  
Make your "to do" list before you leave for the retreat, and then put those items in God’s hands. 
Attend to him first, and he will take care of the rest.

If you need to cancel your reservation, please notify our retreat coordinator, Ann Gleason.
Unfortunately, we are only able to refund your registration fee if another participant is able to take your place.   The cancellation fee will be the amount the retreat center charges the parish for your unfilled room.