MINISTRY OF MOTHERS SHARING
Retreats with S. Paula

Ministry of Mothers Sharing is an outreach ministry

of the Sisters of St. Benedict of St. Paul's Monastery

gathering mothers for spiritual support

Blessings of Motherhood

• Prayerful reflection on the Beatitudes from a mother’s perspective.
• Creative activities, sharing and prayer rituals.
• An invitation to look at the sacredness of being a mother.
• Explore the unique blessing that each child brings into a family.

"It was a good way for me to start to know my ‘spiritual self’ and the gifts God has given me that are deep inside me. Writing in the mini journal and the rituals set the tone for me to be more reflective and to use prayer rituals with my family. I loved sharing my faith with other women."     Debra Budzeak - Detroit

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Caring for You, Caring for Me

• Reflect on and connect with the compassionate love of God.
• Celebrate the sacredness of silence, listening, and lectio.
• Raise your awareness of the grace of the baptismal call to holiness.

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Making the Holidays Holy-Days

• Prepare for Christ's coming. Ask: "What does God want to give me?"
• "What gets in my way of accepting God's gifts?"
• Explore personal prayer and family prayer rituals to prepare for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas.

"This retreat changed the way our family prepares for Christmas by celebrating Thanksgiving and Advent from a liturgical perspective. It lowered our family stress. It offered practical family rituals and traditions that my children love."     Joan Sollar – Indianapolis, IN

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Mary, Our Mother, Our Sister

• Look at Mary's life from a scriptural and woman's perspective.
• Walk with Mary and experience the special grace of being born a woman.
• See Mary through the eyes of a mother dealing with a violent and prejudiced society.

"I never looked at Mary as the first tabernacle that carried Jesus for nine months. We need to continue to explore the scripture readings about Mary from a new scriptural perspective."     St. Paul, MN

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MOMStories

• Take time to reflect on some "grace-filled moments and events" in your own life and family.
• Through sharing, you will see the Gospel "good news" of Christian motherhood in your own stories.

"This experience really strengthened my faith in God's unconditional love! The retreat really motivated me to tell my children and grandchildren the story about their birth and special grace-filled family events."     Grandmother – Omaha, NE

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Moms, Play-ers and Pray-ers

• See God’s presence in your daily summer activities and gatherings.
• Explore your own experiences of God in summer spirituality.
• Learn to recognize the sacred “playfulness” in everyday family relationships.

"We had so much fun seeing why Jesus loved being with children. We were invited to remember their playfulness and natural prayerfulness. I went home and saw summer family activities in a whole new light. I began to see the sacredness in our daily family life."     Phoenix, Arizona

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Nurturing Peace and Solitude or Moms as Peacemakers

• Practice skills and rituals for becoming a more peaceful person and creating a peaceful home.
• Ways to raise non-violent children in a culture of violence.
• Personal, couple and family rituals and examples are shared for use at home.

"The scripture passages, ritual and sharing were profound and highly motivational. I went home and began to create a sacred space in our home for family quiet times so we could actually experience the "peace of Christ."     Amy Bazile – Seattle, WA

"Sister Paula helped us learn how to nurture the peace of Christ inside ourselves and in our relationships with each other."     Nancy Pagnotta – Chicago, IL

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Personal Prayer and Family Rituals

• Take quiet time to learn that prayer rituals are ways to strengthen both personal and family prayer.
• Take time for personal prayer and learn new ways to express your faith.
• Renew your commitment to passing your faith on to one another and our children through rituals.

( May be scheduled as Advent or Lenten Personal Prayer and Family Rituals.)

"The retreat gave me the grace and courage to create family traditions and rituals that have become such a sacred part of our family. It also motivated me to become a leader in creating meaningful prayer rituals for all of our ministries in our parish."     Amy Young - St. Joseph’s Parish, Sterling, VA

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Sabbath Time: Sacred Time

• Explore two Jewish prayer rituals, "Shabbat" and "Havdalah" that have influenced our Christian liturgy and our Christian life style.
• Nourish your spirit, both as a Christian woman and as a mother.
• Take some "Sabbath time" of slowing down, silence and being with God.
• Learn more about the Jewish culture and traditions that shaped Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

"This retreat enriched my understanding of the Eucharist, Holy Thursday and the sacredness of Sabbath time in our lives. I came home with a greater appreciation and respect for our Judeo-Christian heritage.”      Orlando, FL

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Spirit-filled Women in Our Church

• Review the stories and gifts of five outstanding women in our church.
• Pray for the grace and wisdom to respond to the needs of our time.
• Reflect on our baptismal call to holiness and using our God-given gifts.

*Based on Women in Church History:  21 Stories of 21 Centuries by Joanne Turpin. St. Anthony Messenger Press. 2007.

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Women as Spiritual Friends and Companions

• Take time for reflection on Mary and Elizabeth as a model of Christian friendship (Luke 1:39-56).
• Experience songs and prayer rituals expressing the sacredness of true woman-to-woman friendship.
• Strengthen your relationship with Christ and all who have loved you.

"I experienced God's grace in a new way as we learned more about Christ as the center of our relationships with other women. I became more grateful to be a Christian woman with the special gifts God has given me to enrich my marriage, family and community. "     Stephanie- Oklahoma

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Explore a Retreat for Your Parish

Email S. Paula Hagen or call 651.209.9023 to find out how to customize one of the above retreats for your parish.