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Praying Advent with St. Ignatius

An Ignatian, Silent Overnight Retreat for Adults

December 14 - 15, 2018

Groups Attending: Individuals, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Devotions Ministries, Lake County, Meet Me in the Silence

This retreat is currently at capacity or registration is closed. Please call the office at 847.381.1261 with questions.

Summary

Bellarmine  retreat masters Fr Michael Sparough, SJ and Mary McKeon team together for an invigorating retreat. Together they explore the Advent themes while helping us expand our prayer vocabulary. Prayer styles include the Ignatian prayer of imagination, contemplation, meditation, Lectio Divina, body and gesture prayer, and journaling. The retreat begins with check-in between 4:00 and 6:00 pm on Friday and concludes with 6:00 pm dinner on Saturday.

Description

This retreat includes several presentations, daily Mass, 6 meals, the opportunity for one-on-one spiritual direction with a trained spiritual director, and many other opportunities to explore our 80 acres and almost 60k square feet of  interior space.  All activities are optional, but we do ask everyone to respect the quiet of the retreat house for everyone to have the opportunity to read, sleep and reflect in the quiet. 

Bellarmine has two libraries, a resource center, two chapels, and many other common areas.  Outdoor spaces include a various walking trails, various prayer gardens, a gazebo, stations of the cross, as well as a few patios and outdoor chairs and benches.   Each retreatant has their own bedroom. 

Retreat Experience Gallery

Retreat Leaders

Mrs. Mary McKeon

Mary McKeon is a member of Bellarmine's ministry staff, a spiritual director, and coordinator of women's ministry.  Mary is a graduate of Marquette University.  She taught school in Milwaukee's inner city before moving to Washington, DC to work for the United States Senate.  She and her late husband have a daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and three grandsons who are the joy of her life.  Mary received her training as a spiritual/retreat director at the Jesuits' Manresa Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills, MI, where she served on the ministry team and became their first Director of Women's Ministry.  In 2014, Mary was the second person to be honored with Manresa's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fr. J. Michael Sparough, SJ

Fr. Michael Sparough, SJ is a retreat director and spiritual director at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington.  He holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a Doctor of Ministry from St Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL. He is the founder of Charis, a national Jesuit retreat ministry for young adults in their 20s and 30s, and has trained spiritual directors at Loyola University-Chicago.  

A prolific writer and speaker, Fr. Michael has published books, CDs, and DVDs on prayer, discernment, and the sacraments with Franciscan Media, Paulist Press, Liturgical Training Publications, Loyola Press, and Heart to Heart. He is seen regularly on Shalom World Catholic Television and is heard regularly on Sacred Heart radio in Cincinnati and WSFI Catholic Radio in greater Chicagoland. 

His latest co-authored book is What’s Your Decision?  An Ignatian Approach to Decision Making and is published by Loyola Press.  

Fr. Michael’s weekly video homilies can be seen online at www.HtoH.US.

Listen to a talk by Fr. Michael.