Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald Staff

The Diocese of Superior’s 2026 adult retreat weekends are filling up fast.

The Women’s Retreat—now in its eighth year—is full for the first weekend, Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, and the second weekend, Feb. 7-8, is half full.

The Men’s Retreat, Jan. 24-25 is more than half full as of Christmastime.

The number of participants remains nearly 100 men and around 250 women. All retreats are held at Trinity Woods Catholic Retreat Center in Trego.

Women’s retreat

Organizer Loree Nauertz, associate director for the Office of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, believes the reason is twofold. First, women who have encountered our Lord at these retreats are inviting others to share the experience.

Second, according to Nauertz, “When women heard the Duluth Handmaids were coming to lead us in a more reflective, quiet retreat, it resonated with a lot of women. I have heard many women expressing their desire to spend time with God in the silence. God calls us into the silence to hear his still, small voice and the women are responding.”

She said they have been invited the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus to lead the retreats for years, but only now have they been able to accept.

“I am confident that whoever comes to the Women’s Retreats with a desire to encounter God in the quiet will leave refreshed and renewed,” she said.

The women’s retreat theme is “Authentic Femininity,” a topic Nauertz hopes will lead women to “a clearer understanding of who God has created them to be as women of God and where he wants them to be on mission, spreading his Good News.”

Men’s Retreat

For the Men’s Retreat, Nauertz “couldn’t be more excited” to welcome Dr. Jonathan Reyes Jan. 24-25.

“Making an annual retreat is an important pillar in our life of intentional discipleship,” she added. “It is a time of annual Sabbath rest, retreating from the busyness and routine of everyday life to take stock of our relationship with God, our own spiritual, emotional, relational and physical well-being.”

Chris Hurtubise, director of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship, echoed Nauertz’s sentiments: “A retreat is an opportunity to regain perspective—not our perspective, but the divine one. Our lives are lived at a frenzied pace, zipping from task to task, from one thing to the next.

“On top of the dizzying speed, we also carry heavy burdens in our families, at work and in our communities. All that amounts to an ever-present sense of unsettledness and even chaos,” he said. “When we pause for even just a moment, we realize that there is more to life than this, but it’s a challenge to see at times.

“It’s like our faces are pressed against the canvas of a beautiful masterpiece. We’re so preoccupied that all we can see is the obscure details of a jumbled color or two and the ridges of brush strokes.”

For Hurtubise, an annual retreat gives the opportunity to step back and see the whole. He shared that Pope St. John Paul II once reflected after a personal retreat that “the Spirit has once again made us understand that our whole life is centered on Christ.” He said in the Catholic tradition that is called recollection. “In a world of anxiety and unrest this recollectedness is the balm for which we unknowingly long,” he commented.

He believes God’s providence is behind the speakers schedule for this year’s retreats. “Dr. Jonathan Reyes’ resume is very impressive. He has held leadership positions with the USCCB, FOCUS, Archdiocese of Denver, Christendom College and more. But more importantly, in the midst of so much responsibility and accomplishment, Dr. Reyes leads a life of deep peace, rooted in prayer and faith.

“The Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus provide a living witness of hope and recollection as well. Doing apostolate in the city of Duluth, the sisters know what everyday life is like. They cherish the opportunities to give witness to the love of Christ and his invitation to build our life upon his love,” Hurtubise added.

Even though these retreats will take place after the close of the Jubilee Year of Hope, Hurtubise feels strongly that any retreat opportunity, whatever the calendar context, is a moment to “zoom out,” to see life as it truly is, “and truly could be if we slowed down, prioritized what matters most and allowed the empty promises of the enemy to not distract us.”

He concluded noting that each year the fruits of these retreats multiply exponentially. “Each year there are men and women who encounter a vision for Christian discipleship that they were not aware of. In that grace-filled environment they find a freedom to respond to the Lord’s invitation, and brothers and sisters in Christ to support them in that response.

“My plea to anyone reading this is, if you feel any sort of a tug to come, please give it one chance. It could change your life, and through yours, any others!”

For more information and to register, visit catholicdos.org/evangelization-missionary-discipleship.

Dr. Jonathan Reyes

Duluth handmaidens