Retreats & Programs

Bethany Spiritual Book Club

Opening Session: September 14, 2009

The Spiritual Book Club provides participants with an opportunity for group sharing on the reflective reading of selected spiritual books.Each participant reads the text beforehand,and every two weeks personal reflections are prayerfully shared in the group. Coordinators: Erma E. McCarthy, Sr. Catherine McIntytre, RJM.

Sessions are held on Mondays every other week, 1:15 pm to 2:45 pm. Offering: $5/session

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Confirmation Youth Retreats

Bethany offers youth retreats in preparation for Confirmation and Graduation.
The program, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., includes prayer, presentations, discussion, video clips, and guided meditation. Hot lunch is included. The retreat director is Mr. Tony Bellizzi, director of the Religious Catholic Youth Ministry of New Rochelle, NY, and founder of Hope for the Children. One chaperone is suggested for every ten youth (lunch is provided). Bethany offers an alternative to the program listed above for churches interested in a different schedule and content.

Available throughout the year. Offering: $25 per student

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Morning Retreat: Women’s Ways to God

October 21, 2009
November 18, 2009
December 16, 2009
Retreat Director: Sr. Rosemary Mangan, RJM

As Christians we believe that God’s Spirit is present and active in our everyday lives. In three morning sessions we will explore ways of “reading” that everyday experience so that we are able to meet the loving God who comes to us daily.

Arrive at 9:00 am for coffee and personal prayer time. Session starts at 9:30 am. Depart at 11:30 am or stay to pray on your own. Donation accepted

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Weekend Retreat for Women in AA and/or Al-Anon

October 23-25, 2009
March 19-21, 2010
Retreat Director: Sr. Maurice Doody, OP

Sr. Maurice is a highly esteemed retreat leader. Her experience and humor, her affable style of presentation, her understanding of the daily struggle, and her own “living of the program” make for insightful and enjoyable sharing. Sr. Maurice has been coming to Bethany for many years. Her retreats fill up very quickly.

Arrive at 6:30 pm on the first evening. Opening conference is at 8:00 pm. Depart after morning conference on Sunday. Offering: $145. Deposit:$50

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“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”
Discover Your Path to the Lord

October 30-November 1, 2009
Retreat Director: Sr. Stella Herrera, RJM

Do you ever wonder how your prayer life is going?

Would you like to expand your understanding and experience of prayer?

Bethany staff member, Sr. Stella, will guide a three-day retreat that will help participants to explore traditional Christian prayer experiences that have assisted people, through the centuries, in their journey with God.

Recommended tools: Margaret Silf’s “Close to the Heart” and Tony Jones’ “Soul Shaper”

The retreat will include: Brief Reflections • Prayer Experience • Sharing

The retreat will offer something for everyone wherever you may be in your prayer life. Perhaps you have never had an experience of a retreat before. This would be a good introduction. The program will include some private time for rest and personal prayer in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

Arrive for 5:30 pm dinner on Friday, October 30 and depart after 12:00 pm lunch on Sunday, November 1. Offering: $160.

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Conference Retreat
“Francis of Assisi: A Saint For All Searchers”

November 2-6, 2009
Retreat Director: Michael Crosby, OFM Cap.

There’s something that appeals to everyone of every persuasion about the Patron Saint of the Environment. Michael Crosby, a Capuchin Franciscan, will examine Francis’ conversion process and embrace of the “Gospel of the Kin-dom” and show how it can energize us on our own spiritual journeys.

The retreat will offer two daily conferences and Liturgy. While a spirit of silence will be observed throughout the retreat, meals with conversation are an option.

Rev. Michael Crosby is a Capuchin Franciscan. He lives in community with other friars in a downtown Milwaukee parish that serves the urban poor. An author, Michael’s preaching and writing on contemporary biblical discipleship has taken him around the world.

Arrive for 5:30pm dinner on Monday and depart after 12:00pm lunch on Friday.
Suggested Offering: $315.

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Conference Retreat
“The Psalms as a Source of Catholic Prayer and Spirituality”

February 26-28, 2010
Retreat Director: Rev. Lawrence Boadt, CSP

The Scripture-based weekend retreat will be directed by Fr. Larry Boadt. The retreat will include conferences on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Sunday Vigil Mass will be celebrated on Saturday. There will be time for both quiet and sharing with others.

Arrive for 5:30pm dinner on Friday, February 26, and depart after 12:00pm lunch on Sunday, February 28. Suggested Offering: $175.

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Easter Triduum Retreat

April 1-4, 2010

The Triduum invites us to a prayerful celebration of the most profound realities of the Christian life. This year’s retreat will include daily Morning and Evening Prayer, Eucharistic Adoration on Holy Thursday night, as well as quiet time for reflection and rest at Bethany. The retreat experience with the Religious of Jesus and Mary will begin with the traditional Passover Agape celebration on Thursday at 6:00pm, leading into the evening meal, and will conclude with a bountiful Easter Sunday breakfast, followed by Morning prayer at 10:00am.

Retreatants will join with the members of the local parish, at St. Patrick’s Church, for the solemn Liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil.

Suggested Offering: $195.

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“Hope and Healing, Spirituality and the Dynamics of Grief and Loss”

April 30-May 2, 2010
Retreat Director: Br. Andre Mathieu, CP

Grief is universal and at the same time extremely personal. Knowing we will heal differently is essential. This retreat is for individuals and families who have lost a loved one and are trying to walk through the pain of their grief.

The retreat is built on the gospel story of Jesus and the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In this context, Brother Andre will explore the dynamics of grief and loss and how to handle them.

Andre Mathieu was professed as a Passionist Brother in 1962. He holds an M.A. in Pastoral Theology from Boston College; an M.S. in Gerontology from the College of New Rochelle, NY; a Certificate in Thanatology (Death Studies) from the College of New Rochelle and is Certified in Death and Dying by ADEC (Association for Death Education and Counseling). Brother Andre is a member of the Passionist Preaching Ministry with thirty years of experience. He specializes in retreats with older adults, the bereaved and their loved ones. He is a spiritual director, grief counselor and author of the book, “AND JESUS WEPT”.

Arrive for 5:30 pm dinner on Friday and depart after 12:00 pm lunch on Sunday.
Suggested Offering: $170.

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Mother - Daughter Overnight Retreat

May 7-8, 2010

“The Loveliest Masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.”
Therese of Lisieux

This overnight retreat will be guided by Bethany staff and will provide participants with an opportunity to spend time together in a prayerful, peaceful setting in preparation for Mother’s Day.

Friday-
7:00 pm Arrival
7:30 pm Introduction
8:30 pm Group Sharing
9:00 pm Refreshments
10:00 pm Night Prayer

Saturday-
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 am Morning Prayer and Reflection
9:30 am Contemplative Walk and Private Time
11:30 am Mother’s Day Blessing
12:00 noon Lunch
1:00 pm Departure

Suggested Offering: $55 per person.

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“Preaching the Just Word”

May 10-14, 2010
Retreat Directors: Rev. Raymond Kemp and Sr. Nancy Sheridan, SASV

Preaching the Just Word (PJW) is a national program to assist clergy of all faiths and other ministers of God’s Word to be more effective in preaching Biblical and social justice, through cultivating the spiritual lives of those who preach. The PJW format is a five-day retreat, based on the themes from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, that integrates personal prayer with reflection on Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospel of Luke and the lectionary readings for the summer of 2010.

The retreat offers participants an opportunity to reflect alone and in groups upon the nature of their own ministry and how it relates to the just Word. There will be time for relaxation and the enjoyment of the beautiful wooded grounds of Bethany.

Arrive for 5:30pm dinner on Monday; welcome and first session at 7:00pm. Depart after 12:00pm lunch on Friday. Suggested Offering: $325.

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“Praying with Creation: An Exploration of Ecological Spirituality”

June 3-6, 2010
Retreat Director: Alexandra Kovats, CSJP, Ph.D

This retreat will explore some biblical, theological and mystical insights as we look at creation as revelatory of God's presence. We will explore Christian spirituality from an ecological perspective that emphasizes the human responsibility to listen to and live in harmony with all creation, and to be co-creators with God in shaping the future. Prayer, quiet contemplation and faith sharing, body prayer, music, chants and poems will enrich our days together.

Alexandra Kovats, CSJP, Ph.D. is well known in the United States and internationally as a teacher and lecturer on ecological and creation spirituality, ecofeminism and religious life. Alexandra is currently involved in the ministry of spiritual direction and retreat facilitation. She is also adjunct professor in the field of spirituality for the School of Theology and Ministry (STM) at Seattle University. She is Executive Director and Founding Member of GreenHearth Collective, a non-profit organization that focuses on urban ecology and eco-spirituality.

Arrive for 5:30 pm dinner on Thursday and depart after 12:00 pm lunch on Sunday.
Suggested Offering: $275.

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Summer 2010 Directed Retreats at Bethany Spirituality Center

Directed Retreat I – June 7-15, 2010
Directed Retreat II – June 22-30, 2010
Directed Retreat III – July 12-20, 2010
Contact Bethany for list of directors

A directed retreat provides time for prayer, solitude, and daily guidance from a personal director trained in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Bethany offers three eight-day directed retreats during the summer season. Arrangements can be made for a six-day or seven-day retreat beginning on the same starting dates, namely, June 7, June 22, and July 12

Suggested Offering: 8-day $490, 7-day $450, 6-day $400.

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“Sacred Spaces
A journey with a Celtic flavour towards who we truly are in God”

July 2-9, 2010
Retreat Director: Margaret Silf

The retreat is inspired by the Celtic intuition that certain spaces are ‘thin space’, or ‘sacred space’, where the boundary between the visible and invisible, the temporal and the eternal is very thin. Such places/spaces are especially sensitive to the transforming power of God, and they occur not only in the physical landscape, but in our own experience. During the retreat we will explore some of the sacred spaces in our own stories and reflect on the inner space they represent in our living and journeying. We will explore these symbolic places from the point of view both of our personal inner space and of the wholeness and healing of all creation.

The retreat will offer two daily conferences and optional opportunities for those who wish to share with Margaret and each other in the group. While a spirit of silence will be observed throughout the retreat, meals with conversation are an option.

(Based on the book “Sacred Spaces – Stations on a Celtic Way”, published by Paraclete Press)

One of England's best-loved spiritual writers, Margaret first came to Bethany in 2003. Her retreats have been so well received that we have been inviting Margaret back ever since. During the summer of 2006, Margaret spoke at the Jesuit Conference held at Manresa in Spain, and she continues to write on Ignatian Spirituality.

Arrive for 5:30 pm dinner on Friday, the 2nd, and depart after 12:00 pm lunch on July 9th.
Suggested Bethany Offering: $380, Tuition: $100, Total:$480.

The first full day of the retreat, Saturday, July 3rd, will be open to non-resident retreatants who join us for the day. During this opening day, we will reflect on what ‘sacred space’ might mean for us in our daily living and how we can cultivate it. This day program will stand alone for those joining us for the one day only, and as an introduction to the full journey for those on retreat for the week.

Arrive for 9:00 am registration and coffee, and depart after 4:00 pm Liturgy.
Suggested Offering for Saturday registration only: $40.

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Retiro Ignaciano Predicado Por El Padre Gerald J. Chojnacki, SJ

5 al 12 de Agosto, 2010

PARA RELIGIOSAS HISPANAS. Este retiro está preparado según los Ejercicios Espirituales de San Ignacio de Loyola. El retiro se hace en silencio. Favor de inscribirse lo más pronto possible.
FAVOR DE ENVIAR SU DEPOSITO E INSCRIPCION A MÁS TARDAR EL PRIMERO DE JUNIO, 2010.

Retiros Personalizados
(tienes un acompañante) de ocho días (pueden ser menos o más días).
Junio 7 al 15, 2010; Junio 22-30 2010; Julio 12 al 20 2010

Para mayor información llamar a Mary Spanos (845) 460-3061 o a la hermana María Stella Herrera, RJM: stellah5@hotmail.com

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Retreats and Programs in Spanish

See the En Español page for information on Retreats and Programs conducted in Spanish.