By Father Kevin Cullen
Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac frequently asked: What must be done? This examen integrates what a person believes into how one acts and how one speaks. What we believe is revealed by how we act with another. The Sisters of Charity are finishing their Fall Assembly, which includes many hours of prayer and good conversation. Journeying together in their way of life includes both topics (the content) and the process (conversations).
We are near the conclusion of this month of prayer for the Care of Creation: Living Water. We recognize how our thoughts concerning the world’s resources affect the way we live and act. If everything is where the river of life flows, do my attitude and words dam up the water’s path? Or do I provide channels for chaotic waters to gently flow, in order to bring healing and restoration to the land and to the lives of many people? We at Marillac continue to discover people needing space where they can listen to God and engage in good conversations. Sr. Mary McGlone, CSJ opens John’s gospel to our call in Beloved Discipleship. Other people plan to come to make private or directed retreats with us.
Rejoice! The healing and hope found in Marillac Retreat and Spirituality Center marks 25 years hosted in this building. Rejoice! Marillac’s facilities have weathered storms of the unknown. Many Sisters of Charity have welcomed and guided people reflecting upon the living water of grace in their lives. On the third Tuesday of each month, SCLs will celebrate and pray with the many ways their charism has been and continues to be lived. On October 20, Sister Noreen Walter, SCL, founding director of the Marillac Retreat and Spirituality Center, begins our Jubilee events. She will Open Wide the Doors, inviting us into prayer, by recalling our past, embracing our present, and dreaming our future ways of being God’s presence in today’s world. Please check our Jubilee link for other programs, like Living with Gratitude: The Crow Way, and Singing through Seasons with Advent and Christmas Carols. Rejoice!
Yes, we have much to be grateful for. Our lives of faith help us continue to hear the question of Saints Louise and Vincent: What must be done? And our Magnificent Humanity creatively responds, as we trust in the fullness of God’s life dwelling in everyone. We move into this Autumn Season, away from the September winds and rains, and into the cooler, colorful days ahead. Yes…Rejoice!
Celebrating Our 25th Jubilee Year
As we enter the 2026–2027 programming year, the Marillac Retreat and Spirituality Center joyfully celebrates a Jubilee year, honoring both the 25-year history of our dedicated retreat center building and a quarter-century of promoting retreats, conferences, spiritual direction, and educational programs. Grounded in the enduring spirit of hospitality of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, our mission continues to be offered with the core virtues of humility, simplicity, and charity.
In honor of this milestone, Marillac will host a special monthly program on the second Tuesday of each month for the next 18+ months. These sister-presented programs will draw upon their rich years of work and ministry, offering a beautiful opportunity for us to come together to celebrate the SCLs, highlight their incredible work and profound spiritual depths, and give the broader SCL Community the opportunity to Rejoice!
Join us in celebrating each month. More information can be found on the Marillac website or on our Marillac Instagram.
