One Day Offerings

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IN PERSON AND ZOOM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

BE BORN IN ME:  MAKE MY HEART YOUR BETHLEHEM

     Tuesday, December 5      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

This retreat morning will allow you the time and space to celebrate Christmas spiritually, as most of us do not have that opportunity on the day itself. Spending this time with God makes a huge difference in the final days before Christmas, as you continue your preparation for the feast and will enhance your entire Christmas Season. “I’ll hold you in the beginning, you will hold me in the end. Every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem. Be Born in Me.” (Battistelli) Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $25, lunch included. Zoom: $20

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, December 6

Take a day away from the busyness of your life. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction. 

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY WAITING FOR?

     Tuesday, December 12      9:30 AM – Noon

Every year the Season of Advent arrives reminding us that all of life requires a certain kind of waiting. Often, we go through the motions of Advent with our eyes fixed on the calendar date of 12/25 when the waiting ends! This year, let’s try to search our hearts and ask the question, “What am I really waiting for?” Who knows, I might discover I already have all I need. Led by S. Marie. Donation: $20

THE END OF THE YEAR RETREAT

     Sunday, December 31      9:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Since God gives us life and time and is Lord over all, it seems appropriate to end the year in prayer. Francis House offers time, space and quiet for naming the graces of 2023 and expressing gratitude to God. The day will focus on our goals, hopes and desires for 2024.  We reverently say farewell to 2023 and cordially welcome 2024 as a gift from God.  Please bring your lunch. Led by S. Marcy. Liturgy for Sunday, at 1 PM for those who can stay. Donation: Love Offering

 IN PERSON AND ZOOM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

EVENING ZOOM ONLY

OFF TO A PRAYERFUL START:  FOCUSING THE NEW YEAR

     Tuesday, January 2      7:00 – 8:00 PM

Start out 2024 with an evening zoom retreat to set the direction for the year. “Well begun is half done,” they say, and establishing a direction is essential for the journey. Where am I going in 2024? What is the desire of my heart, and God’s as we begin this year together? Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $15, includes materials.

IN PERSON ONLY 

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, January 3     9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction. 

SIMPLIFYING LIFE:  CLEANING UP & CLEANING OUT

     Tuesday, January 9       9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Winter teaches us to let go in order to make some room for God. Do you find yourself complaining, “I have too much stuff!” Is de-cluttering one of your desires for 2024? We are each going to make a plan to clean up and clean out, to simplify and enjoy life more, to have a lighter grasp and a freer heart for the more important things of life. We will gather again in Lent for a progress report. Step by step, with support and prayer, we will be clutter-free by Easter! With God’s help, we can do it! Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $25, includes lunch. Zoom: $20.

LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT:  STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE! 

     Friday, January 12      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Is your long-awaited, much-deserved retirement a blessing or a curse, or a little bit of both? Do questions arise, “Who am I now? Am I fulfilling God’s will, God’s plan? What do I do with this new gift of time? What are my deepest desires? What is my purpose now?” Come together with other retirees in this new or not-so-new chapter of your sacred journey. 

Does your life still make a difference? Led by S. Marcy.  Donation: $25, includes lunch. Zoom, $20

DISCERNMENT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR WORLD!

     Tuesday, January 16      9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

I’m willing if you are! This day includes the full teaching of Ignatian Discernment of Spirits! If you find yourself sliding down “the greasy pole” of desolation or negative thinking, this day will help you immensely. The Ignatian teaching on discernment is life changing as we practice awareness, understanding and right action regarding the various spirits that present themselves to us day by day and moment by moment. Led by S. Marcy. 

Donation: $35 includes lunch; Zoom $30.

 IN PERSON AND ZOOM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

JOURNALING RETREAT:  A PATH TOWARD CLARITY

     Tuesday, February  6      9:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Journaling is a wonderful way to get in touch with what’s true inside in order to talk it over with God. Take the time. Will it help you to give yourself a day to pray, write and share if you wish? Give yourself the privilege of honoring your thoughts, feelings and desires. They are worth your attention because God speaks to you through them. They are your meeting place with God. Led by S. Marcy. Please bring your lunch. Donation: $25.

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, February 7     9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch.  Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction. 

THE RUTHLESS ELIMINATION OF HURRY!

     Friday, February 9      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Are you getting hints from God, others and maybe even your own body that it’s time to slow down a bit? Lent is around the bend. This morning retreat may be a jump start to a great Lenten practice to help us pay attention, do one thing at a time and live in the present moment as we learn about the 10 symptoms of “hurry sickness” and their cure. Hurry and sign up! 😊 Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $30, includes materials and lunch. Zoom: $20.

LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING

     Monday, February 12     9:30 AM – Noon

This week will find us letting go of Ordinary Time and embracing the Season of Lent. A change in liturgical seasons can serve to remind us of aspects of our lives we may wish to change. God’s love is ready to accompany us in this endeavor. Come immerse yourself in God’s love. Led by S. Marie. Donation: $20.

LET’S PUT DOWN THE MASKS

     Tuesday, February 13      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

It’s Mardi Gras! A day of revelry and debauchery, of secrecy and of pretending. But, is that really what we want? Let’s put down the masks and take a close look at our call to holiness. We’ve been given “helps” to get there – prayer, fasting and almsgiving. At this retreat, let’s prepare our hearts to enter the Long Retreat of Lent so that we will be ready to TRULY celebrate the glory of Easter. Led by JoLynn Krempecki. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

EVENING ZOOM ONLY
USHERING IN THE LENTEN SEASON

     Tuesday, February 13      7:00 – 8:00 PM

Sometimes we hear ourselves say, “I really want/need a ‘good Lent’ this year.” This evening retreat will help you receive that grace in very practical ways as we explore and creatively choose the ancient Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $15.

ASH WEDNESDAY RETREAT

      Wednesday, February 14      9:30 AM – 1:30 PM

           LITURGY AT NOON

We love beginning Lent together with this retreat at Francis House because it provides a gentle structure for the six-week journey ahead. This year I thought you would enjoy This Is My Body by Bishop Robert Barron to guide your Lenten journey.  Liturgy is included with the reception of ashes within it. Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $35, includes lunch and book for your Lenten journey. Zoom $20

LET’S LISTEN TO THE POPE:  A PATH TO A BETTER FUTURE

     Thursday, February 15      9:30 AM –1:00 PM

God’s call to conversion in Lent invites us to focus outside ourselves for the well-being of others. In this short book by Pope Francis, we are encouraged to make the world simpler, fairer, kinder and more sustainable for those after us. What good Lenten reading! Let’s get started together! We will provide the book. Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $40, includes lunch and book. Zoom: $20

HOOKED ON PROVERBS:  A GREAT LENTEN READ

     Tuesday, February 20      9:30 AM –2:00 PM

Have you ever spent time with the Book of Proverbs? It holds remarkable sayings of wisdom and common sense! Be instructed in their age-old wisdom, pick your favorite proverbs, and then write your own brief proverbs to live by during Lent. “The Word of God strikes more surely than a two-edged sword!” The Book of Proverbs will keep you focused on your Lenten Journey… for sure! Led by S. Marcy. 

Donation: $30, includes lunch. Zoom: $25

LENT BEGINS ON FEBRUARY 14. USE THE LINK BELOW TO SEE ALL MARCH AND LENTEN ONE DAY PROGRAMS, SERIES AND RETREAT OFFERINGS. 

 IN PERSON AND ZOOM UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

 PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, April 3     9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch.  Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.  

PERFECTIONISTS UNITE!   HELPS FOR HANDLING THE STRESS

     Tuesday, April 9      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

What did Jesus mean when he said, “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect?” What is the difference between perfection and perfection-ism? We will look at the God-given perfection that is within us and the perfection-ism that tortures us (and others too.) We will hear from the best as we come to realize that perfection is not what we do but the loving done through us. You will receive the perfect reading materials 😊. Led by S. Marcy Donation: $30, includes lunch and materials. Zoom, $25.

GOD IS HERE;  DO YOU NOT PERCEIVE IT?

      Wednesday, April 10        9:30 AM – Noon

Our day-to-day lives seem to get busier and busier with longer “to do” lists and increasing responsibilities. As a result, we miss God’s invitation to be aware of God’s presence in the midst of it all! Take some time out and discover ways to become still and more in tune with the present moment by paying attention to our senses and what they are revealing about God’s gifts to us. Led by S. Pat Mensing. Donation: $20

UNCEASING PRAYER:  THE WAY OF THE PILGRIM

     Tuesday, April 16      9:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Life is above all, a pilgrimage! Most of us find ourselves praying on the run, pleading for help as we move about from one urgent task to the next. During this retreat we will follow the advice of the pilgrim in the classic, The Way of the Pilgrim whose mastery of the Jesus Prayer fulfilled his desire for unceasing prayer. I am hoping that this retreat experience will quench our thirst for prayer and help each of us on our lifelong pilgrimage to peace, healing and union with God. Led by S. Marcy. Donation: $30, includes lunch.  Zoom $25.

EARTH DAY RETREAT

     Monday, April 22   1:00 – 3:30 PM

In his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis reminds us that our Earth is a source of God’s revelation, “The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.” Come away for a bit and be caressed by the tender love of God’s earth. Led by S. Marie. Donation: $20

 PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, May 1    9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch.  Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.  

IN-PERSON ONLY

JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT MARY:  THE BEATITUDES

     Tuesday, May 7      9:30 AM to 1:00 PM

The Beatitudes are radically bold statements of Jesus meant to usher in the Kingdom of God. They turned the worldview of the disciples upside-down and surely shook their world. The Beatitudes were revolutionary! Yet, years before they were uttered, they were embodied in a simple young woman from Nazareth. We will spend some time with Mary to see how this was so. Using Mary as our model, we will explore Beatitude living in the here and now. When Jesus preached about the Beatitudes, He was talking about Mary. Could it be that he was also talking about us? Led by JoLynn Krempecki. Donation: $30, includes lunch.

ZOOM ONLY
THOUGHTS MATTER

     Wednesday, May 8     7:00 – 8:00 PM 

“My thoughts make all the difference in my world.” Believe it or not, we can choose our thoughts. This freedom is essential to our spiritual well-being and emotional health. This evening retreat will help us learn to notice our thoughts as they arise and choose to accept them or replace them. With prayer and practice, we can choose our thoughts, receive a quieted peaceful mind available for conscious thinking at will. Led by S. Marcy. 

Donation: $10

ANNUAL CLEANING PARTY

     Friday, May 17

     9 AM to Noon   or 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Please come and help us clean Francis House. Bring your favorite cleaning supplies. Choose a shift that is convenient for you and call 609-877-0509 with your choice. Actually, it’s fun! Thanks so much. Breakfast & lunch provided.

LESSONS FROM SILVER HAIRED SAINTS
IN THE SECRET OF MY HEART, TEACH ME WISDOM

     Sunday, May 19      1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Art and stories from Saints and Prophets across the ages will help us appreciate and celebrate the second half of life. From Jesus’ grandparents to Pope Francis and Dorothy Day, we will explore the wonders of the wisdom years. Led by Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS. Donation: $35, in-person and zoom.

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, June 5    9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring your lunch.  Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.  

50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF 

FRANCIS HOUSE OF PRAYER 1974 to 2024

SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024   2:00 PM

Presiders:  Bishop David O'Connell and Rev. Joseph Tedesco, OCSO

Registration information coming soon!