Learn By Doing
Our retreats and programs go beyond good teaching. When you join us, you will be invited to enter into experiences to discover or deepen your spiritual practice—and bring it into your daily life.
Registration is now open
A Year of Prayer
Join us as we accept Pope Francis' invitation to make 2024 a Year of Prayer. We will meet monthly via Zoom to rediscover how to pray, and to explore the many different styles of prayer: Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, the Rosary -- are just a few examples. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone, whether you struggle in how to communicate with God, or if prayer is a fixture in your daily life.
Facilitated by: MSC Team
Date: third Tuesday of each month of 2024:
October 15
November 19
December 17
Time: 6:00 - 6:45 p.m.
Place: Zoom
Cost: FREE!
Walking in Their Footsteps: The Journey to Sainthood
Each session of this monthly program will take a more in-depth look at the life and work of one of these holy role models. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about a lesser recognized saint, or a different perspective on someone you thought you knew. Every month will be enlightening. More information on the subject of the month will be featured as each session approaches.
October: St. Mary of Magdala: "Don't Just Stand There"
Mary of Magdala was:
-The first to find out about “resurrection.”
Have you experienced resurrection?
-So, she had few demons—who among us doesn’t have a demon or two?
-Some have dissed or labeled her—Saint? Sinner? Have you ever been misunderstood or misrepresented?
-Let’s talk…. Tuesday October 8.
Facilitated by: Nancy DeRycke
Nancy DeRycke holds an M. Divinity from St. Bernard's. After many years in church leadership, she retired as Pastoral Administrator and other ministerial leadership roles. Today she is a chaplain for St. John's Home, oversees two resident floors, and oversees the Catholic services for St. John's Home, St. John's Meadows, and Brickstone by St. John's.
Date: Second Tuesday of each month in 2024
October 8
November 12
December 10
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Mercy Spirituality Center
Cost: $25 per individual 02session
Centering Prayer
Join us this fall for our centering prayer group. If you are unfamiliar with centering prayer, it is a contemplative form of Christian prayer, designed to center awareness on the presence of God.
Prayer begins with a reading by Thomas Keating, followed by a 20-minute quiet and seated contemplation. This is followed by walking and then another 20 minutes of seated contemplation. Prayer ends this hour long gathering.
Dates: Second Tuesday of each month except for July and August
October 8
November 12
December 10
January 14
February 11
March 11
April 8
May 13
June 10
Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Location: MSC
Facilitator: Mary Coughtry
Suggestion donation: $10 per session
Day To Call Your Own
Come and enjoy a day to yourself in your own, private, comfortable room at Mercy Spirituality Center. You will be able to pray, contemplate, read and relax without being disturbed. A simple lunch of soup and bread is included. Morning prayer is optional.
Facilitator: Sr. Gert Erb, RSM
Dates: 2nd Thursday of each month:
October 10
November 14
December 12
Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm; 9:30 am: Morning Prayer (optional)
Fee: $25
Men's Spirituality Group
Below you will find our schedule of nine Saturday breakfasts, following the pattern we set in first year: third Saturday of the month at 8:30am, starting with breakfast and then a sharing time, usually with a combination of faith sharing and response, scripture and prayer.
We will do some new things this program year.
For the first four months, September-December, Ed will lead us in a study of “Falling Upward: A spirituality for the two halves of life" by Richard Rohr. To get the most out of it, we suggest that each one of us buy or borrow a copy.
On January 18, our mid-point, we will have a half-day retreat with a movie dealing with faith issues. The second half of our year, February-May, Harry will lead us in a study of St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
Our planning team has expanded: we welcome Mike Salamone, joining Ed and Harry.
Coordinated by: Ed Redmond, Rev. Harry Heintz, and Michael Salamone
Dates: Third Saturday of the month:
October 19
November 16
December 21
January 18
February 15
March 15
April 19
May 17
Location: MSC
Time: 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
Cost: $100 for series; $15 per individual session
Spiritual Secrets of Weight Loss
If you have struggled with weight loss, you have come to understand that the solution goes far beyond coping with physical hunger.
Our group will explore the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of weight loss.
Our meetings will help to motivate you to make healthy changes and work towards the life God intends for you.
Dates: Tuesday evenings
October 1, 15, 29
November 12, 26
December 10
January 7
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Location: MSC
Facilitator: Ed Redmond
Fee: $120
Coping With Loss and Disappointment
Throughout our lives we experience the loss of loved ones. How do we live through pain and grief? There are also times of disappointment, we do not get the job we really hoped for, or we are let down by a friend. And then there is the loss of relationships through the experience of a marriage falling apart. And what about living in a world that seems to value hatred and prejudice over love and peace?
Join us for this day of Reflection when we will have an opportunity to share our sorrows, our joys, and where Hope is present in these struggles. We will share our stories, learn some coping mechanisms, pray together and share how our faith journey guides us through this experience. Bring a brown bag lunch.
Facilitator: Pat Lawlor
Date: Saturday, November 16
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Mercy Spirituality Center
Fee: $40
Mug Up
Come join us as we journey into the world of angels, saints, and ancestors. This will be a journey of “opening our hearts to the love of all those sacred beings who dwell in spiritual form across the veil. Our Western minds may tell us that what we see is all there is, but the religious and mystical imagination knows a deeper truth.
Come join us as we explore this reality in our own lives. Using the book The Love of Thousands: How Angels, Saints, and Ancestors Walk with Us Toward Holiness by Christine Valters Paintner, we will explore how Saints, Angels and Ancestors open us to that which is other. This is a great book for discussion and growth.
Facilitator: Pat Lawlor
Dates: Tuesdays, October 8, 15, 22, 29
Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Zoom
Fee: $60
Ignatian Spirituality
Exercises of St. Ignatius In All Of Its Forms
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in all of its forms, create an awareness of God in all things—all people, all creation, every human experience, and especially in the person of Jesus. We offer a model of the Spiritual Exercises designed by St. Ignatius for use in daily life which takes place over 30 weeks, rather than 30 days. This program is currently being offered virtually.