Sr. Magdalena of the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus addresses women on retreat. Both the first and second weekends were filled to capacity; a total of 60 women from outside the diocese joined the retreats. (Photos courtesy Diocese of Superior)
Meghan Jones
Special to the Catholic Herald
Three hundred women, 700 acres, two religious sisters, one bishop, nine priests, one deacon, a handful of babies and a young couple with a guitar.
No, this isn’t the beginning of a joke or the cast of a reality TV show, but rather a snapshot of the eighth annual Diocese of Superior Women’s Retreats, some of the most impactful events that the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship offers the Catholic women of the diocese and beyond.
This yearly retreat is a mix of inspiring talks, fellowship with other women, outdoor recreation, and, new this year, silence – lots and lots of silence.
Loree Nauertz, associate director of the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, explained that in years past, the retreat had more of a conference feel. Previously, national speakers brought their expertise and encouraging words for attendees to unpack in small groups.
Time with the Lord in the chapel has always been encouraged, but this year it was emphasized. To take the lead on this were two women who, as a rule (literally), spend many hours in daily prayer. Many prayers were answered when the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus from Duluth, Minnesota, accepted the invitation to share their wisdom.
Because of their popularity, for the past four years the women’s retreats have been offered on two different weekends. This year, the attendance at both weekends, Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 and Feb. 7-8, reached capacity, with 150 women at each retreat.
Though a number of women arrive at Trinity Woods Catholic Retreat Center on Friday evening, the retreat doesn’t officially begin until Saturday morning. And what better way to enter into the weekend than with Mass? Bishop James P. Powers celebrated Mass with Braden and Kayla Hoecherl from Little Way Music. After Mass and a light breakfast, the talks began.
“I’m not loveable; I have to earn love; I have to be in control; I have to protect myself. Lies!
These are all lies from the enemy trying to ruin your relationship with God and others.” Sr. Magdelena did not hold back when challenging attendees to reorient their understanding of who his sons and daughters truly are in the eyes of the Lord.
Each of the four talks by Sr. Magdelena and Sr. Magnificat, two of the most joy-filled women one could encounter, touched on one of the four identities we as women have in relationship to God: daughter, sister, bride and mother.
During each talk, they shared the universal attributes of these feminine identities. The sisters then proceeded to break down the lies Satan uses to attack relationships, both earthly and divine.
After each talk, the sisters led retreatants in a particular style of prayer they encouraged them to continue during the 45- to 90-minute time of silent reflection that followed. The sisters understood this extended quiet prayer time could be challenging for some and were very reassuring that attendees could lay all of their apprehensions at the feet of the Lord, and he would help.
“Tell God about your thoughts and feelings, don’t hold back,” the sisters instructed. “If you’re nervous or feel silly, he wants to know that. If feelings surfaced during one of the talks that you don’t know what to do with, he wants to meet you there.”
Between the last talk and dinner, retreatants had free time to explore the property of Trinity Woods. Snowshoes, sledding tubes and maps were provided; several women could be seen taking advantage of the weather while reflecting with one another on what had been gleaned from the retreat.
Shortly after dinner, Little Way Music provided an opportunity for praise and worship and then participants transitioned into an hour of adoration with the option of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Bishop Powers made himself available to hear confessions earlier in the day, and he was joined by eight additional priests for evening confessions on Saturday.
Sunday morning came a bit too early for women who stayed up late catching up with friends they only see once or twice a year. After breakfast, the women were encouraged to “stay on retreat” and not look ahead too quickly to the end of the weekend.
Bishop Powers offered Mass at the conclusion of the retreat. He threatened to sing “This Little Light of Mine” in light of the Gospel of the day, but said that since it wasn’t yet a penitential season, he would spare the faithful. However, during the concluding announcements, the retreatants did sing “Happy Birthday” to the bishop as he celebrated his birthday just a day before the retreat began. The women also congratulated him on his 10-year anniversary as bishop.
Personal thoughts
Since attending several of the women’s retreats I’ve come to realize that although it’s always a grace-filled weekend, I don’t always have an obvious, earth-shattering spiritual experience. The Lord reveals himself in his own time, and I’ve found that sticking with a regular prayer routine after retreat allows for me to understand him more clearly. The sisters encouraged us not to try to change 10 different things when we got home, but rather to try one or two new spiritual practices.
I am always inspired by being surrounded by amazing women who come year after year to this retreat. Not all of the women have attended the retreat before, though, and not all attendees were local. In fact, one woman came from Chicago after seeing the retreat advertised online, and even brought a friend! What light to the world we would all be if we followed the Lord’s promptings with such confidence!
Meghan Jones is a homeschooling mother of eight and a member of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior.
