RETREAT PROGRAMS FOR 2020-2021

 “The Names of God Revealed Through Each Season”
A first-hand exploration and reflection of the four seasons of the year, allowing each season to teach us more about the presence and activity of God around and within us. As each season arrives, a different “Name of God” and lesson will be explored:
Autumn, October 10, 2020:    10am to 3pm
   Color is the Autumn Name of God, A Time of “Letting go”
Winter, January 16, 2021:    6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
   Silence is the Winter Name of God, A Time of “Inner Growth”
Spring, March 27, 2021:      10am to 3pm
   Life is the Spring Name of God, A Time of “Potentials”
Summer, June 12, 2021:        10am to 3pm
   Warmth is the Summer Name of God, A Time of “Bounty”

“Matching Personality with Spirituality in a Multicultural Church”
“Who we are is how we pray”: Participants will engage in various exercises and take several inventories with explanations that will help them to link their temperaments and personality preferences with particular prayer methods to help deepen their relationship with God through prayer. 
November 16, 23, 30, 2020:  7pm to 9pm
        A- Keirsey Temperament Sorter
        B- Matching Personality and Spirituality
        C- Prayer and Multiple Intelligences Inventory
        D- Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms
             for Different Personality Types

“Our Three Sacred Moments”: Wisdom from the Liturgy of the Hours
The group will investigate the wisdom of some Psalms prayed at Lauds, Vespers and Compline. The Psalmist’s poetic and musical expressions reveal the depth of his relationship with God and provide themes for further personal prayer and sharing of initiatives for communal worship of God using the Divine Office.
October 21, 28, and November 4, 2020:  7pm to 9pm
    
“Prayer Pathways to God”: Schools of Catholic Spiritual Traditions
All Dates listed are 7pm to 9pm
A glimpse of the major schools of Catholic Spirituality established down through the ages; We will present an overview of each Tradition’s founder, times, social situation and “hallmarks” of his spirituality. Each participant will compare their personal prayer to the different Tradition’s prayer methods that may help identify their particular spirituality.
September 24, 2020:     Cistercian Spirituality
October 29, 2020:          Carmelite Spirituality
January 21, 2021:           Lay Spirituality
February 24, 2021:         Mystical Spirituality

 A Lenten Series…
      “Boundless Compassion, Creating A Way of Life” by Joyce Rupp
All Dates listed are 7pm to 9pm
Compassion, one of the most basic and essential human attributes, will be the
focus of a six-week group study in Lent of 2021. A Small Christian Community format will be used for this program to enhance spirituality and personal growth.
Sister Joyce Rupp’s book makes use of Sacred Scripture, a vast number of resources on compassion and healing, and draws from her own experience as a spiritual guide and author to direct the group’s process with the following themes:
February 18, 2021:     “Compassion as a Way of Life”
February 25, 2021:     “Welcoming Ourselves”
March 4, 2021:            “The River of Suffering”
March 11, 2021:         “From Hostility to Hospitality”
March 18, 2021:          “A Thousand Unbreakable Links”
March 25, 2021:          “Becoming A Compassionate Presence”

“Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice”
All weekdays listed are 7pm to 9pm
Photography has the ability to adapt the practice of “Lectio Divina” (Sacred Reading into a form of “Visio Divina” (sacred seeing) through a new way of spiritual observation (through the lens of a camera) and receiving images that will help nourish one’s contemplative Christian stance toward reality.
(Saturdays: April 24 and May 8, May 22, May 29: 1PM-3PM to Process photos)
A camera and journal are recommended tools for this Program.
April 15, 2021: “Seeing with the Eyes of the Heart and Soul”
April 17, 2021: “Practices and Tools to Cultivate Vision”
April 22, 2021: “The Dance of Light and Shadow”
April 29, 2021: “What is Hidden and What is Revealed?”
May 6, 2021: “The Symbolic Significance of Color”
May 13, 2021: “What is Mirrored Back?”
May 20, 2021: “Discovering the Holy Within Us”
May 27, 2021: “Seeing the Holy Everywhere”
         
“Songs That Help Us Heal”
 October 7, 2020, February 3, 2021: 7PM -9PM
 Evenings of Songs and Prayers with Reflection and Sharing for all who are suffering from the devastating effects of the pandemic, violence, destruction and discrimination. The music used will serve to lift our hearts and voices to an all-loving God, our Healer. Participants are invited to bring their instruments to add to the chorus of prayer.

Coming in 2022: OPEN FOR MARRIED COUPLES

The Alexander House Weekend for Spouses
April 29 to May 1, 2022                                               
A Program that presents methods of nurturing the couples’ relationship with God and strengthening their commitment to each other and their families through stressful times.         

Our Blessed Foundress

Sister M. Stella and her Ten Companions 

Beatified by Pope John Paul II – March 5, 2000

Our Location

Remember us in Your Will