One - Day Offerings

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PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, September 15      9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life to rest a while in the Lord and experience God’s presence. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring a bag lunch. Come to as many as you can. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.

COME REST IN ME

     Friday, September 17      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Let this day be a time of rest by savoring God’s graces through the gifts of creation, praying the Psalms and exploring the poetry of Mary Oliver, who celebrated God’s Presence in nature. Come and be filled with joy by being attentive to the beauty of God found everywhere. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

NOTICING GOD’S WAYS & PATTERNS: LIFE GRAPHS

     Wednesday, September 29      9:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Where have I been and where am I going? Come see how events (and patterns) in our lives guide and shape who we are. Together we will outline our own “life graph,” noting major events and looking for God in both good and difficult times. Led by Janine Corgan. Donation: $20, includes materials. 

THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX, A MENTOR FOR TODAY’S RESTLESS HEARTS 

     Friday, October 1      9:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Thérèse of Lisieux is widely known for her life of simple and practical holiness. Despite her popularity, however, many contemporary people are unfamiliar with her strikingly modern psychological and spiritual insights, and some may be inclined to dismiss her loving life as naïve or immature. They would be missing a treasure! In this retreat, we will look at how Thérèse mentors us on the way to emotional health and spiritual maturity from her own experience of loss, love, addiction and healing. With disarming humor, unsparing honesty and bold confidence, Thérèse teaches us that the merciful God of the Gospel is always on our side. Her Little Way is the path of love, inner freedom, and release from the trap of perfectionism and from the self-bullying that lurks beneath the surface of our earnest best efforts. Led by Marisa Guerin, PhD. Donation: $35, includes lunch; Zoom $30.

ABUNDANCE: A SPECIAL RETREAT FOR THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS

     Monday, October 4      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Join us for this special retreat day where we will be drawn into the abundance of life and love at the heart of creation. We will spend time outdoors discovering God’s Presence. Also, we will listen to and reflect on portions of Franciscan Richard Rohr’s, In the Footsteps of St. Francis – Awakening to Creation which explores “a living of life in abundance and living it in a sense of being drawn rather than being driven.” Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

MOTHER KNOWS BEST

     Thursday, October 7      1:00 – 3:30 PM
 

With the unveiling of Autumn, come away and ready yourself to learn one of life's most important lessons. Your teacher is Mother Nature! Trust her wisdom, as through prayer, silence, reading and sharing she patiently teaches you what is worth holding onto in life and what you can let go of! 

Draw close to her through the beauty surrounding Francis House. Led by S. Marie O’Hagan, SSJ. Donation: $20.

EXPLORING THE FAITH STORY OF NICHOLAS BLACK ELK

     Monday, October 11      1:00 – 4:00 PM 

Join us for an exploration of the amazing faith life of this Native American who lived both as a Lakota medicine man and as a Catholic catechist, whose cause is up for canonization. We will enjoy the new book by Jon Sweeney, Nicholas Black Elk - Medicine Man, Catechist, Saint as a resource for our discussion. Donation: $25.

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, October 13 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life to rest a while in the Lord and experience God’s presence. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring a bag lunch. Come to as many as you can. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.

ONE WITH ALL
     IN PERSON ONLY

     Friday, October 15 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM

Wholeness comes from recognizing and celebrating the connection and union of all creation. We will spend time outdoors using The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements as a guide for our prayer and view a portion of Rohr’s DVD: Creation as the Body of God for reflection and discussion. Donation: $25, includes lunch.

ENTERTAINING ANGELS: A DAY WITH DOROTHY

     Wednesday, October 20 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

We will become acquainted with Dorothy Day’s life story by viewing the film Entertaining Angels in order to notice her courage, call and fidelity. What an amazing person, with so much to tell us today. This program can be followed by the 3-part series on Dorothy Day, The Reckless Way of Love, page 6. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

 A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES

     Tuesday, November 2      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

The letter to the Hebrews reminds us we’re not alone (Heb. 12: 10-2). Each of us is given a “great cloud of witnesses” as we run toward our life’s goal. What does this mean and who are these witnesses? As we begin the month of November, a time of remembrance and thanksgiving, it is good to pause and to name the presence of the love that surrounds us and know the grace of accompaniment. Led by JoLynn Ryan Krempecki, M.A. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

EXPERIENCE THE LORD’S PRAYER ANEW
    ZOOM ONLY

     Thursday, November 4      9:30 – 11:30 AM

Let’s take fresh a look at The Lord’s Prayer. With open eyes, ears, minds and hearts, we will experience the Our Father in a deeper way than we ever considered. Pope Francis’ Our Father: Reflections on the Lord’s Prayer will be used for our program. Donation: $15, includes materials.

TIME TO SET THE TABLE

     Thursday, November 4      1:00 – 3:30 PM

Meister Eckhart tells us, "If the only prayer you pray your entire life is, 'Thank you,' that will be enough.” As the Feast of Thanksgiving approaches, come away from all you are doing; savor a time of being as you set a table of gratitude for you and your God. Led by S. Marie O’Hagan. Donation: $20.

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, November 10      9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life to rest a while in the Lord and experience God’s presence. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring a bag lunch. Come to as many as you can. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.

FORGIVENESS: A GIFT OF LOVING AS GOD LOVES

     Friday, November 12      9:30 AM – 2:00 PM

To be loved by God and to love as God loves IS our path to union with our Creator. We will pray with the parable of “The Prodigal Son,” reflect on the words of Henri Nouwen in The Return of the Prodigal Son as we absorb the beauty and the promise portrayed in Rembrandt’s painting of the same name. Please come for a day of being opened to the freedom found in healing and forgiveness. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20. 

DAWN – DAY – DUSK – DARK
MERTON’S BOOK OF HOURS

     Monday, November 22      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Merton’s A Book of Hours gathers some of the most beautiful and insightful passages in his writings arranged as prayers to be offered at dawn, midday, dusk and night hours of each day. They are simple and elegant as is Merton at his best! Our souls long to live in union with God. This little book gives us a way that is brief and quite manageable for the ordinary, busy person at work in the world. It will be a good opening for your Advent Season. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

ADVENT RETREAT DAY

     Monday, November 29      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

We will travel through Advent this year with Thomas Merton’s Advent and Christmas. It is a perfect companion for this busy and stressful season. So let’s begin this Holy Season together doing what we can to make it more peaceful and prayerful. I can’t think of a better way to make the Season Holy! (and Jolly) Donation: $35, includes lunch and book; Zoom: $20

LET’S FOCUS ON HOPE

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

As we conclude this liturgical year 2021, we Christians celebrate Advent and a new liturgical year. Certainly, 2021 has been trying. What have we learned? What do we bring into the new Church year? Let’s unpack the old and focus on the new. Let’s process the darkness and prepare for the Light of the World. Let’s come together to focus on hope and on Life. Led by JoLynn Krempecki, M.A. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL

     Tuesday, December 7      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

This Advent day of reflection will focus on Jesus, Emmanuel, the name which means “God is with us.” We will explore what it means for us personally that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, as well as how we can be God with us (Emmanuel) for others. Join us in delving into a meaningful way to be God’s loving presence — through seven active listening skills. Let Emmanuel touch your heart in a special way that will help you to prepare for His coming during this Advent season. Led by Sister Anne Marie Haas, CSR, and Sister Anne Myers, SSJ.  Donation: $30, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

PERSONAL RETREAT DAY

     Wednesday, December 8      9:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Take a day away from the busyness of your life to rest a while in the Lord and experience God’s presence. Come to Francis House for silence, personal prayer and optional spiritual direction. The day begins and ends with a brief prayer together. Please bring a bag lunch. Come to as many as you can. Donation: $10; $40 with spiritual direction.

A CONTEMPLATIVE TELLING OF THE STORY OF MARY & HER SON

     Friday, December 10      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

Enter the heart of Mary through the words of John Lynch’s spiritual classic, A Woman Wrapped in Silence. We will use this wonderful narrative poem to help us to go deeper into the humility and strength of the Blessed Mother and her love for her Son and us all. Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

THE AMAZING LOVE AFFAIR
THE ROMANCES OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS

     Tuesday, December 14      9:30 AM – 1:00 PM

No one describes God’s love for the world better than St. John. This morning retreat on his feast day will fill you with an appreciation for God’s great love in the Mysteries of Creation and Incarnation. You will taste the tenderness, the intensity and the gratuitous nature of your God. Do you need some hope and consolation, some light in the December darkness? Donation: $25, includes lunch; Zoom $20.

END OF THE YEAR RETREAT

     Friday, December 31 9:30 AM – 1:00 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 2021 and expressing gratitude to God. The afternoon will focus on our goals, hopes and desires for 2022. We reverently say farewell to 2021 and cordially welcome 2022 as a gift from God. Please bring your lunch. Donation: Love Offering.