Waterloo Catholics


Adult Formation, Enrichment
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Mini-Retreat Series

Co-hosted by the Catholic Parishes in Waterloo
and American Martyrs Retreat House
 

Spiritual Retreats offer participants an opportunity to interrupt the normal busyness of everyday life in order to spend some time in study, quiet reflection and prayer.  Retreats provide an opportunity for spiritual renewal, a prayerful encounter with God, oneself, and others, and an opportunity to re-focus on one's core values.

This series of Sunday afternoon mini-retreats is designed for adults and young adults who are not able to participate in longer retreats but wish to spend some time nurturing their spiritual life and deepening their faith.

Each mini-retreat begins at 1:00pm and concludes at 4:00pm. The format may vary from retreat to retreat but will generally include a presentation, time for reflection, discussion and prayer, and in some cases celebration of the Eucharist or Reconciliation.

Suggested fee: $10.00 for adults; $5.00 for students.  (Overnight accommodations Saturday or Sunday evening and meals are available at the Retreat House for an additional charge.)

The Mini-Retreat Series is made possible in part by a grant from the
Archbishop Kucera Center for Catholic Intellectual
and Spiritual Life at Loras College

•   •   •

Fall 2010 Series

“Music As a Door to the Sacred”
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Presented by

Fr. Jerry Kopacek

Music is one of God's greatest gifts to us and it can evoke powerful feelings and memories within us.  Throughout the centuries and in our own time composers have given us songs and other musical forms that express the beauty and power of God as well as the daily challenges we face.  In this mini-retreat we will listen to different pieces of music and reflect on how they speak to us of the reality and presence of God in our lives and in the world.

Fr. Jerry Kopacek is pastor of St. Edward Parish in Waterloo.  He attended Iowa State University and the University of Iowa College of Law and earned his Masters of Divinity degree from St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore.  Fr. Kopacek was ordained in 1988 and has served on the faculty at Catholic high schools in Dyersville and Mason City and as pastor or associate pastor at parishes in Dyersville, Marshalltown, Forest City, Lake Mills, Buffalo Center, Springbrook and Marion.  He was pastor of St. Edward Parish from 1999 to 2004 and was reassigned to St. Edward in 2006.

•   •   •

“Connected to the Earth”
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Presented by
Sr. Marie Gemar OSF

Here is an opportunity to step back from the busyness of everyday living and to examine what the history of the universe tells us about our own connections to God's creation--literally, seeing the forest through the trees.  This mini-retreat will include prayer, small group discussion and some time outside experiencing nature firsthand.  (Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared in case of rain.)

Sr. Marie Gemar is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family in Dubuque.  She was born in Seattle but grew up in South Dakota. She received her BS degree in biology from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City and her MA degree in physiology from from St Mary's College in Winona MN.  She is currently working on a Masters in Earth Literacy from St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana.  Sr. Marie has been teaching for the past 38 years at Columbus High School in Waterloo, where she currently teaches forensics, human biology and ecology.

•   •   •

“Living in Love, Abundance and Gratitude”
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Presented by
Sr. Lucy Slinger FSPA

Nature invites us to recognize our wholeness and mutuality with other human beings and with the whole of Creation.  In this pre-Thanksgiving mini-retreat, Sr. Lucy will help participants open their minds, hearts, bodies and souls to the Divine Mystery all around us by contemplating the sacredness of the cosmos and considering new ways of being at home in the universe.  This new awareness leads naturally to a a deeper, more faithful life shaped by love, abundance and gratitude.

Sr. Lucy Slinger has a BS degree in biology and an MA degree in servant leadership from Viterbo College, and MS doctorate degrees from Michigan State University. She has formal training in cosmology and earth literacy from Genesis Farm. Her work and travel have taken her to every continent. She spent 20 years as a professor of Teacher Education before joining the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in LaCrosse, Wisconsin in 2002. She currently serves as the Congregation's Ecological Advocate.

•   •   •

Registration
 
By phone: call 319-266-3543.
 
By email: DBQAMRH@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us

•   •   •

For more information contact:
American Martyrs Retreat House
2209 N. Union Road, Cedar Falls, IA 50613.
Phone:  319-266-3543.
E-mail: <
DBQAMRH@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us>

or
Director of Adult Faith Formation
320 Mulberry Street, Waterloo IA 50703
Phone: 319-234-9912
Email: <
DBQ208s3@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us>


Posted 12.09.09  
 Last Update: 08.09.10

OUR COMMITMENT TO ADULT FORMATION
The Catholic parishes in Waterloo are committed to providing life-long faith formation and spiritual growth for adults of all ages. We value individual life experience, respect the diversity of personal convictions, and welcome the wisdom of every participant. We encourage conversation and dialogue. We will never intentionally embarrass or offend participants.

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