What, you may ask, does this have to do with your parish’s retreat ministry?
Many parishes offer retreats through parish renewal programs. Such retreats prime participants for further spiritual growth, but are generally unsuitable for repetition because they tend to focus on "initiating" participants into a new group within the parish; once complete, the same retreat model has nothing more to offer. Epiclesis Consulting offers the Deeper Wells retreat models to give parishes more options for an ongoing retreat ministry that respects parishioners' status as fully initiated adult members of the Church while fostering lifelong spiritual development. These models hide no "secrets," create no new subdivisions within the parish community, and are specifically designed to benefit participants who have experienced them more than once. Multiple trips to the well provide repeated refreshment!
Click the Contact link to book any of the following events or to request more information:
The Road Ahead: Reflections on the Gospel of the Coming Year
Every year, the Church presents us with one of three perspectives on Jesus as we cycle through the different Gospels. Yet we can sometimes lose track of the big picture as we hop week-to-week from one brief passage to the next. The Road Ahead provides participants with an opportunity to reflect on that big picture in light of trends in the Church, society and their individual lives, and thus enriches their perception of the Gospel throughout the coming liturgical year. (This retreat, particularly appropriate for lectors and RCIA teams, is especially beneficial as an annual event, offered early in Advent or late in Ordinary Time.)
A Matter of Time: An Immersion Experience in the Liturgy of the Hours
God is eternal, yet Christ has broken into our human experience of time. Throughout the history of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours has built a liturgical framework for the sanctification of time with hymns, psalms, readings, and prayers appropriate to the various times of the day and night. During A Matter of Time, each liturgy throughout the day serves as a springboard for both individual and communal reflection. Whether participants have been praying the Office for years or are brand new to the experience, they will come away with a deepened appreciation for this prayer of the Church.
Eucharistica: Praying with the Holy Eucharist
What better spiritual “space” for a retreat than the source and summit of Christian life? During this retreat, reflections on Scripture and texts from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church include both individual and communal understandings of our relationship with the Body of Christ. Eucharistica gives participants the opportunity to spend time with the Blessed Sacrament and culminates in parish Mass. (I recommend the event be offered on parish grounds either overnight from Saturday to Sunday morning or on Saturday leading up to your Saturday evening Mass. It is desirable if a priest is available for Benediction late in the retreat.) Though particularly valuable for Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Eucharistica touches themes that should be central for all Catholics.
Sufficient unto Today: Lectionary-Based Reflections on an Individual Journey
The “topic” of a given moment of our lives is seldom of our own choosing. In each time and place, we encounter challenges to all that we have been and opportunities for all that we may become. Sufficient unto Today is a “themeless” retreat that allows participants to reflect on the thoughts, concerns, joys and hopes dictated by their current circumstances. Reflections, discussions and optional journal exercises are rooted in the lectionary readings of the day. Significant unstructured time is available for participants to choose activities that meet their present need for quiet, discussion, rest or activity. (You may wish to consider a venue that provides more amenities than a typical retreat on parish grounds.)
All Deeper Wells retreat models are available in different lengths depending on your community's needs, schedule, and budget.
Fees*:
- Mission Evening: $100 per session
- Half-day: $225
- Full day: $400
- Overnight: $500
- Full weekend (Friday night-Sunday morning): $1000
*Fees listed are for presentation only, not including photocopying, presenter's accommodations and travel costs. Travel fees may be charged for venues more than 35 miles from Epiclesis Consulting’s base of operations in northern Indiana. When you fill out the Contact form, please give the address where you wish the event to be held so that Trish can tell you what travel fees, if any, would apply.
In-person retreat presentations are currently available only on a case by case basis.
to ask if it would be possible to book this retreat for your group.
Deeper Wells Parish Retreats
If you are new to retreat planning,
check out our Retreat Planning Tips.