Weber Retreat & Conference Center

Connecting Art and Spirit: Awakening the Wisdom Within

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:26:00 GMT

October 26-28, 2012
Friday October 26 at 7:30pm to Sunday October 28 at 1:00pm

This art retreat is designed to discover creative ways of nurturing one’s spirit with the use of art. We will accomplish this with expressions of painting, creative writing and collage. Music, meditation and sharing will be components utilized to enhance this reflective and creative process. It is time spent nourishing one’s body, mind and spirit through art, prayer and intention. No experience or talent is necessary to participate.

Rose Huart is an award-winning artist living in Dayton, OH. The path of papermaking opened the door for her creativity following her studies in Japan. Presently Rosie teaches papermaking, painting and poetry. Inspired by Eastern culture and spirituality her poetic strokes have an emphatic voice and are prominent elements in her work. As an artist and educator, Rosie believes the making of art, as a transformative process, impacts the soul’s search for meaning.

Single occupancy: $325
Double occupancy: $225
Commuter: $175
Deposit: $ 50

Piece Work – Soul Work Retreat (A Quilting Retreat)

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:19:00 GMT

September 21-23, 2012
Friday, 7:30pm – Sunday, 1:00pm

A retreat for quilters!

Barbara Harvey has over 25 years of experience in crafts and quilting. She has worked in local fabric and quilt shops where she has taught several classes on quilting, crafts and basic sewing.

Ann Hughes believes that piece work and soul work go hand n hand, that both are creative acts of the individual spirit. She has been quilting since 1989. Currently, Ann serves as President and CEO of the Adrian Chamber of commerce.

Single occupancy: $325
Double occupancy: $225
Commuter: $175
Deposit: $50

Dimensions of Earth-Keeping: Biblical, Legal and Practical

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:56:00 GMT

July 6-7, 2012
Friday, 7:00pm to Saturday, 5:00pm

Biblical Dimensions - Sarah Sharkey, OP
We live in a time of peril and promise in regard to the relationship between humans and all other members of Earth community. In this segment of the workshop, we will listen to millennia–old voices from the Old Testament that challenge us to re-discover the profound interrelatedness of all aspects of God’s “good” creation. We will reflect on the fundamental biblical mandate and challenge that urge us to engage in a radical shift in the way we live in relationship with all members of Earth community.

Legal Dimensions - Patricia Siemen, OP
Dominant legal systems flow from a human-centered worldview. Laws and governance systems reflect ways the human community chooses to protect that which it values. Given the unprecedented ecological challenges facing the Earth community, current legal systems are grossly inadequate to protect Nature and its intrinsic value. We will explore the basic principles of an Earth’s jurisprudence and examine the emerging “rights of Nature” movement that advocates moral and legal protection of all members of the Earth community.

Practical Dimensions – Mary Ellen Leciejewski, OP
The health and well-being of our planet and members of our Earth community are profoundly connected. Healthcare systems are growing in their understanding of the interrelationship with Earth and the gift of healing it brings. We will examine healthcare’s impact on the environment as it relates to energy and water consumption, waste generation, persistent chemicals, purchases, and transportation. We will explore the efforts of the increasing number of sustainability programs and the implications for our personal and communal lives as we care for the planet’s human and natural neighborhoods.

Single Occupancy: $150
Double Occupancy: $100
Commuter: $ 75
Deposit: $ 25

Laff Jest for the Health of it!

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:16:00 GMT

June 6, 2012
Wednesday 10:00am – 2:30pm

Karl Barth once said, “Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.” We hunger for humor and we long for laughter; yet many don’t realize how vital these “nutrients” are to the well being of our body, mind and spirit. We will learn several benefits of laughter. In the afternoon we’ll take part in a Laughter Circle as promoted by the World Laughter Tour. All will leave with ideas to assist in our attempt to go out and “humorize” the world.

Sue Tracy, OP is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids. Presently she is staff chaplain at the Spectrum Health Butterworth Campus in Grand Rapids, MI where she offers spiritual care to those coping with cancer and their families. Sue is a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul (1996) and Praying through Cancer: Set Your Heart Free from Fear (2006).

Cost: $35 (lunch included)
Deposit: $10

Contemplata Aliis Tradere Retreat

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:57:00 GMT

July 8-13, 2012
Sunday, July 8 at 7:30pm to Friday, July 13, 2012 at 1:00pm

This retreat is for all persons seeking time for contemplation, study and prayer. Each day, through a presentation, personal and communal prayer, silence and Eucharist, we will visit core values in the tradition of Dominican Spirituality.

Retreat Directors:

Martin Iott, OP, a Dominican friar of the Southern Province, has spent most of his years as a priest in the ministry of preaching, giving both retreats and parish missions. He has served in parish ministry and as a university and hospital chaplain. Marty currently resides Houston, TX.

Arlene Kosmatka, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, has been accompanying individuals and groups for over 20 years in seeking a deeper relationship with God within themselves and all creation. Mysticism in the lives of twentieth century mystics is of special interest to her. Arlene also offers spiritual direction and retreats in Spanish.

Jeanne Lefebvre, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, teaches history and religious studies at Siena Heights University in Adrian. She has offered courses in contemporary world and church history, Dominican studies and world religions. Jeanne ‘s presentations are designed to invite participants into reflection and recommitment to our roles as co-creators of both our unfolding history and the world of future generations.

Cost: $425
Commuter: $200
Deposit: $ 50 (non-refundable)

There are currently no programs scheduled in November 2012.

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:15:00 GMT

There are currently no programs scheduled in May 2012.

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:14:00 GMT

Meditation by Design

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:14:00 GMT

February 18, 2012
Saturday – 10:00am – 3:00 pm

This workshop presents a method of doodling with a purpose. In a few hours you will learn to create a pleasing tile of art that is relaxing, aids your meditation and focuses your mind in the present. Join us for a few hours of meditation and creativity. All materials will be available and are included with the cost of the program.

Joanne Bellaire, D.Min, an associate of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, is a former minister, teacher and retired health care chaplain. Art is a passionate part of her life. She is married and the mother of eight children.

Cost: $40 (includes lunch and materials)
Deposit: $10 (non-refundable)

There are currently no programs scheduled in January 2012.

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:13:00 GMT

Aging: Ease or Disease?

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:10:00 GMT

August 10-12, 2012
Friday 7:30 pm – Sunday 1:00 PM

Disease is not a natural consequence of aging. The disease process can be controlled with medical interventions and attenuated with behavior change. Melba Beine, OP, MD returns to Weber Center to discuss the disease process accompanied by Mariane Fahlman, OP, PhD who will discuss behaviors related to the disease process and ways to change harmful behaviors. This workshop is for those who want to focus on themselves as well as those who are the caretakers of others.

Melba Beine, OP, MD is a Dominican Sister of Adrian and an Internal Medicine physician. She has been in private practice for over 20 years, 15 of which have been in San Antonio, TX. Also, Dr. Melba is a Hospice physician in her spare time. She has been voted on as one of the “Best Doctors in America” by her peers since 2003.

Mariane Fahlman, OP, PhD, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, is the Coordinator of Health Education at Wayne State University. She has published extensively on the aging process as well as exercise and nutrition.

Single Occupancy: $300
Double Occupancy: $200 per person
Commuter: $150
Deposit: $ 50

The Great Coming Out: Stepping Into Our Roles as Prophets and Mystics

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:05:00 GMT

August 17-19, 2012
Friday 7:30 pm – Sunday 1:00 pm
A retreat with author/activist Jan Phillips for the gay/lesbian community.

As our institutions of cultural and religious tradition are buffeted and challenged by the winds of change, profound questions arise for us as people of faith.

How do I create a spirituality that is authentic, immanent and transcendent enough to sustain me?
How do I express and enact this spiritual practice into the world so that it becomes not just the path I walk, but the talk I talk?
How do I move from conditioned, dualistic thought patterns into original thinking that is unifying, meaningful and supportive to the well-being of myself, others and the planet?

This retreat is a multi-media, multi-sensory experience that will help us probe these mysteries and step into our self-defined futures as a faith-filled, culture-creating community.

Jan Phillips’ quest has led her around the world on a one-woman peace pilgrimage. Blending east and west, art and activism, reflection and ritual, Jan’s transformational keynotes and workshops inspire consciousness and creativity. A visionary with her eye on the future and her heart in the present, she is an invigorating speaker and story-teller who weaves music and images into her presentations. She is the author of many books including Born Gay: Images and Reflections of an Ordinary Lesbian and her most recent publication, No Ordinary Time: the Rise of Spiritual Intelligence and Evolutionary Creativity.

Single Occupancy: $325
Double Occupancy: $225 (per person)
Commuter: $175
Deposit: $50

Private Directed Retreats

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:00:00 GMT

July 16-20, 2012
Monday, July 16 at 2:00 pm - Friday, July 20 at 1:00 pm

This retreat will provide time and space for solitude, personal prayer and participation in campus liturgy. Each participant will meet daily with a spiritual director of your choice.
Choice of Retreat Director (Please indicate choices on registration form):

1st ____________________; 2nd ____________________; 3rd ________________________

Directors:

Mary Pat Dewey, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, holds a master’s degree in theology from Catholic Theological Union and a certificate in spiritual direction. She leads preached and directed retreats and is an experienced spiritual director.

Joan Ebbitt, DCSW is a spiritual director and licensed clinical social worker. A former Adrian Dominican, she specializes in ministering to religious, clergy and others in their quests for experiencing the divine. Joan walks with directees, providing support, gentle challenges, and encouragement as they encounter the mystery of our universe.

Ana Feliz, OP is a Dominican Sister of Adrian who completed her training as a Spiritual Director at the Dominican Center for Religious Development in Detroit, MI. Ana has served in this ministry for over 25 yrs. She has experience in preached and directed retreats as well as days of prayer in Spanish. She offers this service of Spiritual Direction in Spanish.

Thérèse M. Haggerty, OP is a Dominican Sister of Adrian. Her career has ranged from teacher to child care worker, guidance counselor to hospital chaplain. Thérèse is a certified spiritual director has conducted directed retreats.

Joseph Scheuring studied theology at Sacred Heart Seminary in the Pastoral Ministry Program. After retirement he entered a spiritual direction internship program. Joe sees men and women religious of all ages, as well as persons from various religious backgrounds. He has facilitated “The Busy Person’s Retreat” in Dexter, Michigan for several years.

Janene Ternes received her training through an Ignatian spiritual direction program. She presently serves as a supervisor in a Spiritual Directions Internship program. Founder of Prayer in Motion, LLC, Janene also teaches prayer using movement and music to people of all ages.

Cost: $375
Commuter: $225
Deposit: $50 (non-refundable)

Holy Land Pilgrimage at Weber Center: An Experiential Journey

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:41:00 GMT

June 11-16, 2012
Monday, June 11 at 3:30 pm – Saturday, June 16 at 1:00 pm

Unable to travel in person to the Holy Land? This is an opportunity for you to experience a journey and place without leaving the country.

“…when I least expected it, the Spirit rushed in, (and I was) surprised by tears, surprised by joy. The pilgrimage was life-changing in ways I could not have guessed, and the gifts continue to be revealed nearly every day.”

Thus, one student pilgrim in 2009 summed up her experience of the Holy Land pilgrimage with words travelers have used for over 1.600 years – that once we meet Jesus in the land he called home, our relationship with him is forever transformed.

As we become acquainted with the religious, cultural and socio-political realities that were the Judaism of Jesus’ day, lived under Roman occupation, we will read the Gospel narratives with a new and deepened grasp of how Jesus experienced his world and how he struggled to effect God's reign within it, a struggle that continues to this day in his homeland and in every land.

The Holy Land Pilgrimage at Weber Center has been designed with the hope that each pilgrim will experience the Jesus of ancient Palestine and the Jesus of today with an immediacy that gives us access anew to his living presence among us.

Our pilgrimage will start at the Orthodox Church of St. George in Madaba, Jordan, where pilgrims since Byzantium gathered to “map” the holy sites. From there we will travel to Nazareth, the Judean desert, Capernaum, throughout Galilee and then on to Bethlehem and Jerusalem where we will conclude our pilgrimage with Liturgy on Saturday at 11:00 am.

Helena of Constantinople started life as an inn-keeper on the edges of the Roman Empire and, over time, became the mother of Emperor Constantine and Co-regent of the Empire. She traveled to the Holy Land in 327 when she was nearly 80 years old and is said to have discovered the site of the tomb of Christ and the true cross. Helena is recognized as a saint in both the eastern and western churches.

Pilgrimage Guides:

Carol Johannes, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, has been involved in the ministry of spiritual direction. She has conducted workshops, addressed many groups exploring issues of spirituality, provided days of prayer and directed retreats throughout the US and beyond. In 2008, Carol joined the group from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago who journeyed to Israel to make the Holy Land Retreat.

Cheryl Liske, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, has spent the last 20 years as a community organizer with the Gamaliel network, working with the interfaith community in the urban areas of Michigan. Cheryl has traveled twice to the Holy Land with a group led by Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos (Couchell), special consultant to Archbishop Dimitrios of America, on Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs.

Joanne Podlucky, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Adrian and the Director of the Dominican Center for Religious Development (DCRD). At the DCRD, she teaches in the Internship in Spiritual Direction Program and also ministers as a spiritual director. She has also ministered as a teacher, director of communications, and a free-lance video producer for not-for-profit organizations. Joanne journeyed to the Holy Land in 2009.

Anneliese Sinnott, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Adrian. She is currently a professor of systematic theology at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit. Anneliese participated in two trips to the Holy Land, in 2009 and in 2010.

Roland Calvert, OSFS, is a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and a priest for 45 years. He taught for 22 years and served as chaplain at the Adrian Dominican Motherhouse for 22 years. In 2008, he spent an extended period of study at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem. Roland has visited every part of the Holy Land.

Single Occupancy: $425
Double Occupancy: $325 (per person)
Commuter: $225
Deposit: $ 50 (non-refundable)

On The Way to Jerusalem

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:46:00 GMT

April 1-4, 2012
Sunday 3:00pm - Wednesday 1:00pm

One gift of Holy Week is the challenge to look out at the world not only from our own eyes, but from all eyes, letting our hearts be transformed by love. Questions present themselves: What do I love? What am I helping to be born in the world? What do I see when I look past what is happening on the surface of my life? What people/events have been given to me as my own Jerusalem?

Paula D’Arcy is an author, speaker, playwright and former therapist. Among her bestselling books are Gift of the Red Bird, Song for Sarah and Sacred Threshold. Paula is president of the Red Bird Foundation, www.redbirdfoundation.com, which ministers to those in need of healing.

Single occupancy: $375
Double occupancy: $275
Commuter: $200
Deposit: $50

Women’s Retreat: Mother Night and Seeing in the Dark

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:31:00 GMT

March 9-11, 2012
Friday 7:30 pm – Sunday 1:00 pm

The Creative life force is urging and nudging us to move into the realm of mystery, dreams, darkness and the unexpected. At this turning of the year, we awaken and welcome the Medial Woman within, who walks between the worlds. With her guidance we reclaim the soulful gifts set into our soul at birth, gifts abandoned possibly in the unconscious through neglect, ignorance and fear. We will draw upon Mother Night, our wild, loving companion as we kneel to dig down to mine the raw gems of spirit, soul and creative life, bringing diamonds from the darkness into the light of loving service.

Esther Kennedy, OP, MSW, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, believes that we are created with a depth of spirit and presence that yearns to be freely poured out into the world. Esther is the Director of Spirit Mountain Retreat in Idyllwild, CA (www.spiritmountainretreat.org).

Single occupancy: $325
Double occupancy: $225 (per person)
Commuter: $150
Deposit: $ 50 (non-refundable)

A Serenity Retreat for Women

Weber Retreat and Conference Center — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:35:00 GMT

September 27-30, 2012
Pre-retreat: Thursday - September 27, 7:30pm to Friday-September 28, 6:00pm
Retreat: Friday - September 28, 7:30pm to Sunday - September 30, 1:00pm

Rose Celeste O’Connell, OP and Cora “Tommie” Dayton

Sharing our experience, strength and hope through the 12 Steps of AA.

Pre-retreat and Retreat (Thursday-Sunday)
Single Occupancy: $375
Double Occupancy: $275 (per person)
Deposit: $50 (non-refundable)

Retreat Only (Friday-Sunday)
Single Occupancy: $325
Double Occupancy: $225 (per person)
Deposit: $50 (non-refundable)