Spiritual Renewal
Retreats
Time and space to listen more deeply — to yourself, to others, and to God
Are you seeking time and space to listen more deeply to yourself, to others, and to God? Do you long to step away from the noise and demands of daily life in order to reconnect with what matters most?
For more than forty years, I have designed and facilitated retreats that invite participants into the sanctuary of the self — a place of reflection, renewal, and spiritual discovery. Whether you are navigating a life transition, seeking a deeper spiritual practice, discerning a new direction, or simply longing for rest, a retreat can offer the spaciousness needed to hear the quiet wisdom already within you.
My retreats are holistic, experiential, and welcoming to people wherever they find themselves on their spiritual journey. I encourage participants to explore their questions and insights through guided imagery, meditation, journaling, reflection, and conversation.
Retreat Elements
- Guided meditation and imagery
- Personal reflection and journaling
- Small-group discussion
- Creative expression through art, movement, or storytelling
- Periods of silence and solitude
- Spiritual practices that foster deeper awareness and connection
Sample Themes
- Archetypal Wisdom and Personal Transformation
- Biblical Stories for Contemporary Living
- Spiritual Growth and Discernment
- Embracing Eco-Spirituality
- The Art of Sacred Listening
- Avoiding the Maze, Embracing the Labyrinth
Retreat Formats
Flexible Options to Meet Your Needs
I am willing to work with your schedule and budget — retreats can be as short as a morning of reflection or as long as a week.
All-Day Saturday Retreats
Involving presentations and small group work. Preferably within driving distance of Chicago or with a "Friday overnight" included.
Parish Missions
A retreat meeting on 3–4 consecutive evenings. Chicago-area only.
Preached Retreats
A format for parishes. I present the same topic at each weekend liturgy, sometimes offering an additional Saturday-afternoon workshop. Preferably in the Chicago area, but I would also be willing to fly out on a Friday, returning Sunday afternoon, if my schedule allows.
Private Retreats
I am willing to meet with individuals or groups who have special interests and want a retreat experience that reflects these interests.
Weekend Retreats
Scheduled Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, these retreats are perfect for retreat houses or private groups. I will travel provided my transportation/accommodation is covered, in addition to my stipend requirements.
Retreats on Zoom
I'm available for individual or group retreats on Zoom; retreats can be tailor-made to suit your needs or else can follow a set format.
Examples
Spiritual Themes
Spirituality and Ecological Conversion
Drawing on Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si' and my book Preaching and Teaching Laudato Si', this retreat explores a Creation-based spirituality that helps participants experience God in Creation, examine their own relationship to the Earth, and find ways of living more sustainably.
Journey Towards Wholeness: Connecting Body-Mind-Spirit
This retreat demonstrates the interconnectedness of physical health with emotional and spiritual issues. Participants evaluate their own health, learn holistic strategies to improve health, and sign a contract with themselves, pledging to make the changes that will ensure a better quality of life.
Opening Doors to God, Self, and Others
Using the image of the "door" as a threshold into new spiritual consciousness, retreatants examine doors that may be closed in their own lives.
Mysticism and Contemporary Spirituality
This retreat illustrates the classical mystical path, which involves the Dark Night, Illumination, and Union. Drawing on the writings of Christian mystics as well as mystics from other faith traditions, participants discover the rich spiritual legacy of those who have dared to enter the waiting heart of God. The premise: everyone is called to be a mystic.
Images of God, Self, and Community
Our images of God, self, and others affect all our relationships. This retreat offers the opportunity to examine the images we currently hold and those we have held in the past. We explore the ways in which imagery and language shape consciousness and move toward new ways of imaging and naming the human and the divine.
Wine, Passion, and Transformation
The absence of passion in our lives and in the institutional church is a spiritual drain. Through this retreat, participants assess their own passionate commitment to life and see where the gospel may be calling them.
Re-Constructing the Shattered Circle: Thoughts on Healing the Self
This retreat is for those who are experiencing profound losses, whether through death, illness, divorce, career loss, etc. We examine the ways in which we have been shattered and explore strategies for healing. Best offered to groups of under 25 participants.
Examples
Archetypal Themes
The Hero Quest and the Christian Journey
This retreat follows the six stages of the archetypal hero's journey — The Call to Adventure, The Threshold of Adventure, The Road of Trials, Guides Along the Way, The Sacred Marriage/At-One-Ment, and The Return — demonstrating how each stage is relevant to Christian spirituality. One of my most popular retreats.
In the Belly of the Great Fish: Descent into Darkness & Transformation
Drawing on the story of Jonah as well as the fairy tale Pinocchio, participants explore their own seasons of darkness and the necessity for entering this purifying darkness.
From Bondage to Liberation: From Egypt to the Promised Land
Using the Exodus story as a paradigm of liberation, we examine what the biblical record has to say about real freedom, the path out of slavery, the need for desert wanderings, and entering the Promised Land. Ideal as a Lenten retreat.
Healing the Inner Child: Recovering Paradise Lost
This retreat offers the opportunity to reconnect with the child within so that we can be more fully alive; it also provides a safe space to examine the hurts of childhood so we can find healing.
The Different Faces of Eve: A Retreat for Women in Search of Themselves
By focusing on the masks that women have been forced to wear, we begin to peel away our attempts to conform to others' expectations — discovering the selves hiding behind these masks. A retreat about authenticity and empowerment.
Dream Quest
Imagery and creative play are part of this experience. Participants learn the basics of Jungian dream interpretation and how to use their dreams as a source of spiritual wisdom.
Examples
Biblical Themes
Prayer, Scripture, and Imagery
This retreat encourages participants to enter scriptural narratives through various imagery techniques and then to explore the "meaning" of each text through discussion and contemplative prayer.
Praying With the Psalms
Using Walter Brueggemann's classification of the Psalms according to orientation-disorientation-reorientation, participants evaluate where they are spiritually and how to pray with the Psalms at each stage of life.
The Advent Journey Through Poetry and Prose
Drawing on the texts of Advent, participants learn how to craft poems and short stories centered on biblical themes and symbols.
Keeping Lent Through Poetry and Prose
Drawing on the texts of the Lenten season, participants write poems and short stories in response to the biblical narratives.
Past Venues
Sample Retreat Sites
Queen's Retreat House, Saskatoon, Canada
The St. Charles Center, Lake Charles, LA
Kordes Enrichment Center, IN
St. John the Evangelist Parish, Streamwood, IL
Holy Rosary Catholic Community, WI
St. Scholastica Monastery, Duluth, MN
US Air Force Base, Aviano, Italy
The Warrenville Cenacle, IL
St. Isadora's Parish, Schaumburg, IL
The Lutheran School of Theology (LSTC), Chicago, IL
Mundelein College, Chicago, IL
Gethsemani Abbey, KY
St. Christopher Parish, Indianapolis, IN
Pallotti Retreat House, WI
Our Lady of the Mountains, Sierra Vista, AZ
The Center for Development in Ministry (CDM), Mundelein, IL
The Benedictine Spirituality Center, Sacred Heart Monastery, Richardton, ND
Ready to create a retreat experience?
Each retreat is carefully tailored to the unique needs and interests of the sponsoring organization or group. Let me know what you are looking for, and I will send you a proposal.
Get in Touch