Weber Center Programs
To register for a program or for more information, download the registration form or call (517) 266-4000. A non-refundable deposit in the amount indicated for each event must accompany registration.
Please make checks payable to:
Weber Retreat and Conference Center
1257 East Siena Heights Drive
Adrian, Michigan 49221-1793
June
Lands of Dominic Armchair Pilgrimage
(Retreat)June 23-28, 2008
This pilgrimage is an opportunity for vowed Dominicans to follow the footsteps of our Father Dominic through the extraordinary words of our preachers and the beautiful depictions of these special places in our Dominican history. The pilgrimage begins with an imaginary “plane flight” to Weber Center, which becomes the lovely country of Spain, where passports are provided for the journey. A “week of travel” takes the pilgrims through Spain, France, and Italy with the final day spent at Santa Sabina in Rome. Prayer and Eucharistic Liturgy are central to each day.
Ann Willits, OP, a Sinsinawa Dominican, is co-director of the PARABLE Conference for Dominican Life and Mission, which provides her with the opportunity to work with all branches of the Dominican Family around the world. She is a full-time itinerant preacher, continuing to give witness to the value of collaborative preaching and teaching.
Matt Walsh, OP, a Dominican priest of the Central Province, has served in the overseas missions and preached numerous retreats. During his semi-retirement in Wisconsin, he continues to serve as a Dominican Preacher.
Single Occupancy Cost: $425
Non-Refundable Deposit: $50
Please register by April 1st
July
Experiencing the Divine: Lessons from the Mystics
(Retreat)
July 11-13, 2008
Friday @ 7:30 pm –Sunday @ 1 pm
(Includes 3 meals on Saturday, Sunday breakfast & noon dinner)
In life and ministry we draw so close to a sense of the sacred. We cannot fully name its meaning but we know that we have experienced something of the divine. It is the mystics who best struggle to name this experiential knowing. This retreat will explore the mystics and the lessons they offer us for today.
Michael Demkovich, OP, is the Founding Director of the Dominican Ecclesial Institute, a theological and pastoral resource in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He regularly teaches at the University of New Mexico and is a Visiting Lecturer at Blackfriars in Oxford. He is a member of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great and holds his PhD in Religious Studies and the Pontifical Doctorate, both from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He is the author of Introducing Meister Eckhart (2005). He serves as Ecumenical Officer for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Single Occupancy: $250
Double Occupancy: $150 per person
Commuter: $125
Non-Refundable Deposit: $50
Please register by June 30th
There Are Larger Places
(Retreat)
July 18-20, 2008
Friday @ 7:30 pm –Sunday @ 1 pm
(Includes 3 meals on Saturday, Sunday breakfast & noon dinner)
Giving our hearts to God is only the beginning. Then the walk of faith begins, taking us to places we never anticipated and asking us to belong with great fidelity to something deep within. What are you being called to embrace?
Paula D’Arcy, an author, leads retreats and workshops related to spirituality. She travels widely in the United States, Canada and abroad. Paula's ministry grew from personal tragedy. In 1975 she survived a drunk-driving accident, which took the lives of her husband and twenty-one-month-old daughter. Pregnant at the time, Paula survived the accident to give birth to a second daughter.
Paula is President of the Red Bird Foundation which supports the growth and spiritual development of persons in need, and furthers a ministry both to those in prison and those living in third world or disadvantaged cultures. Recently she has teamed with Richard Rohr to present seminars on the Male/Female Journey and Spirituality in the Two Halves of Life. For more information, go to: www.redbirdfoundation.com
Single Occupancy: $250
Double Occupancy: $150 per person
Commuter: $125
Non-Refundable Deposit: $50
Please register by June 30th
The Parables of Jesus: An Experience of the Reign of God
(Scripture Study Week)
July 21-25, 2008
The power of stories captures our attention as we attempt to live faithfully in this age of peril and promise. During our study week, we will listen once again to the millennia-old stories of Jesus found in the synoptic gospels and consider the latest developments in parable interpretation. The gospel parables challenge us to consider the enduring values of Jesus that continue to bless and guide us as we seek justice and peace for all members of our Earth community.
“Stories tell us of what we already knew and forgot, and remind us of what we haven’t yet imagined.”
— Anne Watson
Sarah Ann Sharkey, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, MI, is currently teaching Scripture at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. She welcomes opportunities to share the Word of God in parishes, diocesan workshops, etc. Sarah believes that the scriptural Word has much to offer as we seek to live in right relationship with all members of Earth community in this challenging and critical moment in history.
Single Occupancy: $450
Double Occupancy: $325 per person
Commuter: $225
Non-Refundable Deposit: $100
Please register by June 30th
September
Come and Paint
(Retreat)
September 19-21, 2008
Friday @ 7:30 pm –
Sunday @ 1 pm
(Includes 3 meals on Saturday, Sunday breakfast & noon dinner)
This weekend retreat is designed to awaken your creative energies through painting— a way of prayer, a form of spiritual expression. Mary encourages participants to listen to their deeper selves as they paint, and to trust what emerges. Both beginners and novices will benefit from this gentle environment that offers freedom to engage in the creative process without expectation, comparison or competition. Paper, paint, brushes and an easel will be provided. Bring: a paint smock; your journal; your favorite brushes if you have them. Register early as this weekend is limited to 25 participants.
Mary Southard, CSJ, a Sister of Saint Joseph of LaGrange, Illinois, is a visual artist best known as creator of the Earth calendar which has been a favorite in homes around the world since 1980. Art commissions and program work have taken her many places in the US, Canada and Europe. Publications include the yearly art/meditation calendar, book illustration, and book cover art. Check out her new website: www.marysouthardart.org
Single Occupancy: $250
Double Occupancy: $150 per person
Commuter: $125
Non-Refundable Deposit: $50
Please register by August 30th
Piece Work~Soul Work
(Quilting Retreat)
September 19-21, 2008
Friday @ 7:30 pm –
Sunday @ 1 pm
(Includes 3 meals on Saturday, Sunday breakfast & noon dinner)
Piece Work–Soul Work continues its journey of prayer through conversation, reflection, sharing and journaling in a caring and safe environment. Group discussion and journaling will focus on the “intersections” in our lives – the paths we chose to travel and those we did not and what those decisions have meant in our lives. This year’s quilting project will combine various techniques including, English paper piecing, appliqué and machine sewing. The wall hanging will feature its own intersections as pieces are sewn into the project. If you are a quilter and believe prayer is integral to life, this weekend is for you! Join us! Register early as this weekend is limited to 25 participants. (Supply list will be sent upon receipt of registration.)
Ann Hughes believes that piece work and soul work go hand in hand, that both are creative acts of the individual spirit. She has been quilting since 1989. Currently, Ann serves as President and CEO of the Adrian Chamber of Commerce.
Barbara Harvey has over 25 years of experience in crafts and quilting. She has worked in local fabric and quilt shops where she has taught several classes on quilting, crafts, and basic sewing.
Single-Occupancy: $250
Double-Occupancy: $150 per person
Commuter: $125
Non-Refundable Deposit: $50
Please register by August 30th
The Holy Spirit: Towards a Mystical Cosmology
September 26-28, 2008
Friday @ 7:30 pm –
Sunday @ 1 pm
(Includes 3 meals on Saturday, Sunday breakfast & noon dinner)
Both the Earth and all its creatures require a more integrated vision of science and religion, cosmology and spirituality. In this workshop, we will explore a cosmology grounded in a theology of the Holy Spirit, a spirituality that takes the world and needs of the Earth as integral to itself, a mysticism that is deeply cosmic and contemplative. Building on the work of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Sri Aurobindo, Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, and others, we will explore the relationship between new cosmologies and new mysticisms. The mysticism needed today will be grounded in the Spirit, responsive to Earth, and cosmic in sweep.
Linda Gibler, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Houston. Enchanted by the magnificence of the Universe, Linda began formal study of cosmology in 1999 at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she completed a MA, then a PhD in Philosophy and Religion with an emphasis in Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness.
Don Goergen, OP, is a Dominican theologian, preacher, teacher and writer. His most recent book is The Fire of Love: Encountering the Holy Spirit. Don has lectured widely in the United States, Asia and Africa. He currently resides at the Dominican Ashram, Adrian, Michigan.
Single-Occupancy: $250
Double-Occupancy: $150 per person
Commuter: $125
Non-Refundable Deposit: $50
Please register by August 30th
2008 COMING EVENTS
October 2-5, 2008
Serenity 12-Step Retreat for Women
Presenters: Cora “Tommie” Dayton and Rose Celeste O’Connell, OP
October 10-12, 2008
Radical Amazement: Responding Contemplatively to the Universe Story
Presenter Judy Cannato, MA, CSJ-A
December 6, 2008
Advent Waiting: Praying with Body, Mind, and Spirit
Presenter: Janene Ternes
December 13, 2008
Celebrating the Images of Advent
and Christmas
Presenter: Martin J. Iott, OP
2009 COMING EVENTS
July 20-24, 2009
Scripture Study Week
Presenter: Sarah Sharkey, OP
July 27 - August 1, 2009
Lands of Dominic Armchair
Pilgrimage Retreat
September 26, 2009
Claiming Our Kinship with Earth Community
Presenters: Sarah Sharkey, OP & Joan Weithman, OP
October 9-11, 2009
Come and Paint Retreat
Presenter: Mary Southard
October 9-11, 2009
Piece Work-Soul Work
A Weekend Quilting Retreat
October 23-25, 2009
Weekend Retreat
Presenter: Kathy Coffey
October 30-November1, 2009
Weekend Labyrinth Retreat
Presenter: Esther Kennedy, OP
2010 Coming Events
September 24-26, 2010
Weekend Retreat
Presenter: Megan McKenna
