Retreats nourish spiritual health

St. Mary of the Pines
Eight-day retreats – Cost is $640
Five-day retreats – Cost is $400
Weekend directed retreats – $160

Directed Retreats. The resident retreat director is Sister Dorez Mehrtens, SSND. During 2014, she is available for directed retreats on the following dates: May 29-June 5, June 11-18, July 3-9, Aug. 18-26, Sept. 2-9, Sept. 24-Oct. 3, Oct. 6-13, Nov. 10-18, and Dec. 1-10.

To schedule a retreat contact Sister Dorez, 601-783-0411 or 601-810-7758 (cell).
Private Retreats. A private retreat is a retreat without a director and may be scheduled any time space is available. The individual chooses his/her own resources and rhythm of prayer and reflection throughout the day. Suggested donation: $65 per night. Financial assistance for any retreat is available upon request.

Conference Retreat: “Come, Taste and See the Good Things of the Lord,” June 15-20. This retreat will utilize our senses through prayer, imagery, and ritual to fully “taste and see the good things of the Lord.” Suggested donation is $425. Scholarships are available. Details: Sister Helen Roper, 601-783-0801, retreatcenter@ssndcp.org, www.ssndcentralpacific.org.
Contact: St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, 3167 Old Highway 51 South, Osyka, MS, 39657, 601-783-3494, retreatcenter@ssnddallas.org.

The Dwelling Place
“Be Still and Know that I am God,” June 4-8, July 2-6, July 31-Aug. 5. Two, three or five day retreat. Come for some time personally adapted to your needs. It is a time of quiet and prayerful reflection primarily using scripture.

Retreats are scheduled at specific times but retreatants  are welcome to come privately any time that is convenient to the person. Three hermitages (small cottages) are available.

Contact: The Dwelling Place, 2824 Dwelling Place Road, Brooksville, MS, 39739, 662-738-5348, www.dwellingplace.com.

Benedictine Center
“Still Green with Fruit: Flourishing in One’s Older Years,” Wednesday, May 21, from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. What are the hidden graces of old age that prepare us for the final surrender of our life on earth?  How might we, as the psalmist writes (92:15), continue to “bear fruit even in old age.”

This retreat will be based on the book by Emilie Griffin, “Green Leaves for Older Years.” Sister Kathleen Gallas will direct the retreat. Cost is $30, includes lunch.
“Finding God in Every Nook and Cranny,” Saturday, June 7, from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. The director, Sister Melannie Svoboda, will lead prayerful reflection on discovering God in the particular circumstances of our lives. Cost is $30, includes lunch.

Eight-Day Intensive/Post Intensive Centering Prayer retreat, June 24-July 1. Intensive: An in-depth retreat for those experienced in Centering Prayer.  The retreat will facilitate entrance into a more profound level of spiritual practice in an atmosphere of silence, solitude, and community, designed to assist participants in entering a more intimate relationship with God. Videotapes of Father Thomas Keating’s Spiritual Journey course will be viewed.

Post-Intensive: A next step into a profound silence and stillness to facilitate a more intimate union with God. An Intensive Centering Prayer experience is a prerequisite of the Post-Intensive.
Contact: Benedictine Sisters, 916 Convent Road, Cullman, AL 35055, (256) 734-4622, shmon@shmon.org.

WILLWOODS COMMUNITY
Married Couples Retreats, June 21-22, July 19-20, Aug. 23-24, Sept. 20-21, and Nov. 1-2, at Joseph Abbey Christian Life Center in Covington, La. Each retreat will be led by peer married couples and a priest.
Contact: Jason Angelette, 504-830-3716, jangelette@willwoods.org or visit www.faithandmarriage.org. Suggested donation of $275 per couple is requested but not required. Pre-registration deposit, which is part of the donation, is $50.