A retreat is a meeting of Christians for the purpose of spiritual growth. The very nature of the idea of "retreat" requires participants to leave their regular routine and experience something different in order to focus on their relationship with God. Retreat participants will leave the retreat feeling rested but re-focused on their walk with Christ. They will leave with beautiful memories and new relationships.  

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. – Luke 5:16

Fellowship retreat

A Fellowship Retreat will have themed talks and breakout sharing sessions. There will be plenty of time for bonding with new friends and enjoying meaningful conversations around the faith. There will be musicians who will lead the retreat sessions in worship songs, and we will have some dedicated prayer time. 

 Silent retreat 

A silent retreat can seem intimidating but just think about it as going away with Jesus, your dear friend.  It is a time to find clarity in your life, to think about your past year.  It is a time to reset your spiritual life and relationship with Jesus. 

You will receive guided meditations on the spiritual life alongside the other women on the retreat. Then you will reflect in quiet prayer time alone rather than in small group discussions. You can expect to have about 15 guided talks by the presenter over the weekend, as well as time for Mass and Confession.  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 silence will begin after Friday night dinner, and it will end before Sunday lunch so you will have time to meet and talk with the other ladies. 

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. 

 Your 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.  

Cancellation Policy:  Refunds can only be offered for cancellations more than 45 days from the start of the retreat

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 Erica MacIvor here.

Cancellation Policy:  Since we must finalize our contract with the retreat center 45 days from retreat date, we can only offer a refund 45 days from the start date of the retreat. No refunds after that time will be given.