Who is there that does not want to be happy? But happiness is not so much the goal of a spiritual life, as is joy. And joy is the fruit of a connection, a relationship, with the source of all joy, that is, God. Joy is experiencing God’s presence.
In the span of seven days, we will carve out the journey which we are all on, not one just limited to passing happiness, but one ending in joy that brings forth transformation and healing. Through the use of presentations, reflection, and engaging interaction, to creating a plan for a spiritual life that can have both happiness and joy, participants will have the resources and the experience of a fuller measure of joy in daily life, no matter how dark or difficult a day they are experiencing is.
This will be a silent retreat. Check-in begins at 3pm on Sunday and dinner will follow. The retreat will begin after dinner. Silence will begin after the opening session.
The guide for our retreat is Father Nicholas Amato, no stranger to the retreat center. He has been a regular presenter for retreats and days of recollection for many years. He brings with him the experience of 50 years ministering as a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as a spiritual director, and as an author of several books: Living in God: Contemplative Prayer and Contemplative Action (2016), Moving from Stress to Joy (2018), and Happiness and Joy: Can a Spiritual Life Have Both? (2020). This 3-day retreat may be an answer to a deeper longing.
