Core Values of Saints Francis and Clare: A Centering Prayer Retreat

Friday, June 5, 4:00 pm - Sunday, June 7, 1:00 pm CT
Shalom Spirituality Center
Facilitators: Mary Ann Koch, Jeannine Kosman, Kathy Reardon, Kathleen Schiltz, Mary Jo Pfeifer Wulf

If you have been hesitant about a silent retreat, this one is for you. Participating in silence alongside others you know can be a deeply meaningful spiritual experience. Community truly can be built in the silence.

Please join us for a weekend of intentional silence–a sacred space to be with God through centering prayer, rest, creativity, and gentle reflection, along with whatever else your heart and soul may need. Our time together will be shaped by readings on the five values of Francis and Clare: Contemplation, Ongoing Conversion of Heart, Poverty, Minores (Humility), and Community.

This retreat offers an opportunity for deep, unhurried prayer and a renewed focus on Franciscan values that our world so desperately needs right now.

Mary Ann Koch has practiced meditation and centering prayer for more than 20 years. She has degrees in art, theology, and mathematics. Her connections with the Dubuque Franciscans have been lifelong. As a Franciscan associate for 25+ years, she feels Franciscanism and the Dubuque Community are part of her DNA. She especially loves immersing herself in soil, green things, air, and water in Des Moines, IA where she lives.

Jeannine Kosman has been a practitioner of Centering Prayer for over twenty years and a Dubuque Franciscan Associate since 2018. Before retirement, she served as a training professional and executive coach. She completed the PrairieFire Spiritual Director training program in 2015. Jeannine now serves as a spiritual director and retreat facilitator. She resides in Bondurant, IA.

Kathy Reardon retired in 2020 from the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, where she worked as a spiritual director, holistic nurse, and Healing Touch Practitioner for twenty years. She received a certificate in spiritual direction in 1999 and has been commissioned to teach the Christian practice of silence, known as Centering Prayer. Kathy continues to provide spiritual direction and supervise persons training to become spiritual directors. She became a Dubuque Franciscan Associate in 2023. She resides in Des Moines, IA.

Kathleen Schiltz has been a practitioner of Centering Prayer since 2009 and a Dubuque Franciscan Associate since 1991. She was a teacher, director of religious education, and a school counselor. After she retired, she completed the PrairieFire spiritual direction training program in 2017. She is a commissioned presenter for Contemplative Outreach Ltd.’s “Intro to Centering Prayer” workshop. Besides hosting day-long or weekend retreats, she also loves participating in them. She resides in Des Moines, IA.

Mary Jo Pfeifer Wulf retired from her career in Mental Health Counseling with Catholic Charities in 2018. Mary Jo has been practicing Centering Prayer since 2007. She is a spiritual director and retreat facilitator. She has been a Franciscan Associate with the Dubuque Franciscans since 2014. She completed the PrairieFire spiritual director training program in 2015. Mary Jo loves to host Centering Prayer Silent Saturdays, Silent Weekends, and now an 8-day retreat through Contemplative Outreach of Central Iowa. She resides in Ames, IA.

$300 per person, a non-refundable $75 deposit is required. Meals and lodging are included in the cost. No commuter option is offered, in order to gain the most from the retreat experience. Register and prepay at shalomretreats.org or by calling 563.582.3592 by 5:00 pm CT, May 22.