By Sister Judith Jackson, SCL
As the Christmas season comes to an end, there is an awareness of a new year, 2025, inviting us to slow down and focus on what has been and what will be. I am so grateful for the gift of relationships and connections during the holidays with family, friends and community and the sacred feasts shared at the Chapel altar and table at home.
Upon reflection, one of my greatest gifts this season came via the request of one of my spiritual directees. I asked, “What might be helpful to support you on your spiritual journey?” She requested that we each purchase Father Gregory Boyle’s latest book, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times, published last November.
We agreed to read the book individually and discuss the book in-depth at our shared sessions. Father Greg is a well-known Jesuit author and has served the homeless youth in Los Angeles for decades. If you know this author, Greg Boyle, this has not been an easy read, but a grace-filled adventure.
Central to the book’s theme of wholeness, I share an insight: God just wants us to be whole. So, with God, we try to restore wholeness within and with others. We make progress when we walk each other home to this wholeness.
Marillac Retreat & Spirituality Center offers opportunities in 2025 to do just that! We invite you to embrace wholeness/holiness through the following offering:
Saturday, January 11, 2025 Good Grief A gathering of trust to explore in a spiritual setting how to navigate the grief process.
This day will address:
- The power of the Story-journey of grief
- Suffering and its meaning
- Spiritual Comfort and conflict
- Tasks of mourning
- Circle of Support
- Belief system and after-life
- Glimpses of light and inner peace
Join Us for More Upcoming Events
Consider joining at Marillac Center for one of the following events:
Friday, January 24, 2025 During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, there will be an invitation to communal wholeness as Christian communities of faith and justice gather to celebrate God’s goodness and our loving compassion and outreach to others. Pastors and congregants from area congregations will gather from 10:00-11:30 to pray, share how God is working in their congregations, and discover ways to support one another.
January 30-February 2 or 6 – We invite you to come to Marillac for a 3- or 6-day Silent Directed Retreat. You will meet 1:1 with a spiritual director daily to discuss what is going on in your life and how Jesus is inviting you closer.
All of these opportunities – and more – draw us closer to one another and to God. They can be found by clicking on the tabs below. If you have any questions, just email retreats@scls.org and we will happily respond.
May the graces of the new year fill your heart and home with Christ’s peace.
2 Responses
I wonder if you will be offering the Good Grief retreat again in the spring. The roads are not great this weekend and I would really like to take advantage of it.
Thank you for reaching out! We will be canceling the retreat due to weather and will reschedule soon. Stay tuned for new dates.