Women’s Retreat at the Episcopal House of Prayer
The sound of the bell bowl quietly merged into the silence, as 17 women entered into the silence of their heart.
The candles flickered in the night air and the stars were brightly shining overhead, as we offered our prayers to the four directions. Colorful images appeared as we prayed our prayers in color. God spoke to our hearts as we listened to scripture through divine reading (lectio divina). The smell of fresh bread wafted from the kitchen as one participant graced our meals with homemade bread, straight from the oven. We offered our prayers of gratitude for the gifts of food so many brought (we ate well!). And even the beds were comfy!
These are just some of the memories brought back by one of us from the women’s retreat at the Episcopal House of Prayer on the campus of St. John’s University in Collegeville. The retreat was a combination of women from St. Luke’s, Minneapolis and St. Andrew’s by the Lake, Duluth. Those from St. Andrew’s who were present were: Sandy Carlson, Ginny Berger, Traci Reynolds, Mary Gaidis, Fern Penick, Shannon Preston and Cindy Peterson-Wlosinski. Ginny also brought a friend, Sally Burger, from Trinity Church in Hermantown.
By the middle of Saturday afternoon, the group was asking when we could do this again, and on Sunday morning, someone asked, ‘Do we have to go home?’ It was a very special time away to draw closer to God, deepen friendships, and make new connections. It was a good time to practice resurrection!
