Year One process begins with an exploration of the spiritual journey to recognize and be attentive to God’s presence in everyday life.

Retreat Weekend Focus: God’s Call in Scripture

Like the early disciples, we too ask Jesus the question, “Where do you live?” We gather together this weekend because we have heard the invitation of Jesus to “Come and See.” We are called to be open to God’s presence in our midst as the story of Jesus unfolds within us.

Goals †

• Seek time apart to be drawn into a greater awareness and desire for intimacy with God.
• Offer a holy space for personal and communal prayer, for being fed in the Eucharist, for reconciliation and community with one another.
• Discover the sacredness of God’s story of salvation as it is revealed in the sharing of gifts in the daily lives of family and the wider community.
• Explore daily prayer as the foundation for developing and sustaining an intimate relationship with the beloved.
• Recognize the baptismal call and commission to serve others by understanding the call and response of people in our Christian tradition and those who have affected your life.
• Develop and discern God-given gifts.
• Meet with a spiritual director or mentor.

Monthly Sessions

• Personal Story: Connecting self to faith journey
• Family Stories: Connecting famiy to faith journey
• Scripture: Connecting Scripture to faith journey
• Scripture: Conncting the story of salvation to faith journey
• Theological World Views: Connecting theological worldviews to faith journey
• Faith Development and Images of God
• Contemplative Living
• Christian Spirituality

Year Two - Reflecting the Life of Faith

Year Two process connects theology to lived personal and communal experience and provide an experience of theology as studied, lived and prayed.

Retreat Weekend - Can I Drink the Cup?
We embrace the reality of the cup of life as experienced in everyday life as individuals and in community. We reflect on the paschal mystery and identify our relationship with God with the one cup we share. We discern what God is asking of us as we embrace and share the cup of life through prayer, reflection and dialogue.

Monthly Sessions

• Understandings of Jesus: Who is Jesus in my faith journey?
• History of Church: self-understanding of the Church in knowing who is Jesus.
• How Doctrine Developed in the Church
• Church: Community of Disciples
• Salvation and Grace: Understandings in our spirituality
• Sacraments: of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
• Sacraments of Healing and Service: Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Priesthood.
• Discerning Gifts

Year Three - Sharing the Life of Faith

Year Three, Sharing the Life of Faith, focuses on the missionary life of the Church. As the baptized, we live the vocation of the church in the home and in the world. We are challenged to bring justice and conversion of heart to those we meet.

Retreat Weekend - Living with Spirit -Radical Gratitude

Baptism transforms us into the People of God. The Eucharist changes us into the Body of Christ. As Christians we are called to challenge a culture to be faithful to the core values of the Gospel. In ongoing conversion, we bring the Gospel to all those we meet in the spirit radical gratitude.

Monthly Sessions

• Baptism and Lay Apostolate
• Lifelong Adult Faith Formation
• Servant Leadership
• Evangelization
• Catholic Social Teaching and Morality: Living the Consistent Ethic of Life
• Catholic Social Teaching: Social and Economic Justice
• Worship in the Church
• Church in the 21st Century and Retreat with Rite of Recognition Mass

Sister Marci Blum, O.S.F.
Director of Lay Formation