July Summer Retreat
"A Reflection on Eldering Through Three Lenses"
Back by popular demand!
This retreat is for everyone, at any age of their life. We are all continually aging.
Therefore, a couple of years ago, Peg Morris and Patrick Fox developed a program in which they explore the spiritual journey of the third stage of life using writings from Richard Rohr OFM, and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s “From Aging to Sage-ing” and “The December Project.”
They invite participants to review life and look to the future with hope. Their approach is to engage and facilitate conversations and reflection among those on retreat. The sessions engage participants in healthy conversation.
Peg and Patrick act as facilitators of discussions that help individuals open a door to exploring their life journey and to processing some of the questions and thoughts that grow in all of us as we age and continue the journey of faith. They explore the legacy of those who have come before us. They honor those we are with. They seek to move beyond on life’s journey.
Dates: Sunday, July 19 - Friday, July 24
Time: Sunday at 6 p.m. - Friday at 12 p.m.
Facilitators: Patrick Fox and Peg Morris
Location: Mercy Spirituality Center
Fee: $525
Peg Morris and Patrick Fox have worked together for a number of years, sharing a passion for helping their peers grow their spirituality as they increase in years. They offer a variety of programs and workshops, engaging elders in conversation and dialogue, enhancing their lives and fostering a better awareness of spirituality in each person.
Peg Morris holds a master's degree in Gerontology and has decades of experience as a social worker and additionally she has been trained in “From Aging to Sage-ing;” a program launched by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and know throughout the world for developing a profound new vision of growing older.
Patrick B. Fox has a master's degree in Adult Learning and has studied with Dr. Richard Johnson and received his Professional Certificate in Spiritual Gerontology in 2011. Additionally, Patrick brings a deep immersion into Celtic Spirituality in addition to his academic background.
August Summer Retreat
"Prayers for Peace"
Prayer is so needed in our challenged world—war, hatred, violence surrounds us from all avenues.
Historically, many global conflicts have developed out religious differences.
Join us as we join to understand prayer as practiced by different faiths. While the current Middle East conflict will serve as a starting point, that part of the world has been in religious conflict for centuries.
We will explore the religious and cultural practices of the Islamic, Jewish, and Christian faiths that all have their roots in the Middle East. We will come together in unified prayer in support of lasting peace.
Dates: Sunday, August 23 - Friday, August 28
Time: Sunday at 6 p.m. - Friday at 12 p.m.
Facilitator: Allison Murphy
Presenters: Rabbi Peter Stein, Imam Ibrahim Atasoy, Our Lady's Rosary Makers of The Fatima Shrine, and Carmen Ramos
Location: Mercy Spirituality Center
Fee: $525
Advanced Centering Prayer Retreat
As we transition into Fall, come join us for an Advanced Centering Prayer Retreat. In the silence of community, we will have extended periods of Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina.
A daily conference and times for individual Soul Friending will be available. Prior centering prayer experience helpful.
Dates: Thursday, September 24 - Sunday, August 27
Time: Thursday at 6 p.m. - Sunday at 12 p.m.
Facilitator: Mary Dwyer
Location: Mercy Spirituality Center
Fee: $400
Mary Dwyer is a long-time student of Fr. Thomas Keating and has been practicing Centering Prayer since the 1980s. In the early 1990s, she lived at Chrysalis House, a contemplative live-in community experiment blessed by Fr. Thomas in Warwick, NY.
Her housemates included Mary Mrozowski, David Frenette, and Cathy McCarthy. The community lived according to a rule of life and became an incubator of practice and programs in the early years of Contemplative Outreach’s growth.
It was her experience at Chrysalis House – what she refers to as her “inpatient” or “residential treatment time” – that proved to her that a life of prayer, consent and practice is real, stable and deeply rewarding. Mary Mrozowski taught her that a devoted life of prayer was the real work of life; what we did the rest of the time was just how we made a living.
In 2008 she met her beloved Juan through the Living Flame program. She moved to Miami, FL in 2009 and they married. Juan retired and they moved back to Erie, PA in July, 2018.
Mary is currently in private practice as an LCSW in the Erie area. She also is serving as a member of Welcoming Prayer Service Team.
She previously has served on the Trustee Team (Governing Board); member of the Contemplative Outreach Faculty and Gift Committee; and Coordinator for the Living Flame program and Coordinator of the Miami Chapter. Mary now devotes her time between private practice and giving retreats and workshops on behalf of Contemplative Outreach throughout the US and internationally.
Private Weekend Retreat
If you need a little time away, this is your opportunity. Our independent weekends offer meals and lodging. Spend your time in contemplation, prayer, or finding peace in the silence. This is your time. Weekend retreats are Friday evenings 7:00 p.m. to Sunday noon.
Retreat Info
Retreats
Mercy Spirituality Center is a retreat center for people of all faiths. We believe that each of us, individuals and organizations alike, needs time apart to find,
deepen, or refresh our connection to what matters most in life.
We are deeply grateful to be able to offer our beautiful space
to the community for rest, reflection and spiritual growth.
Our facilitated retreats center around contemplative practice, Ignatian Spirituality and finding God in nature.
We also offer private retreats for groups and individuals.
A Day to Call Your Own opens with an optional communal prayer, then the rest of the day is yours. We provide a private room, a simple lunch, and our beautiful house and grounds for you to explore as you wish.
If you need a little more time in quiet, consider A Retreat to Call Your Own which includes all of the above plus an overnight and pick-up breakfast. Check our calendar for scheduled opportunities.
Located just one block from Highland Park, Mercy Spirituality Center offers 10 private guest rooms, meeting spaces for groups as small as 5 or as large as 35, kitchen and dining facilities along with various dining options dependent on the length and nature of your stay, a richly stocked library, spacious yard with gazebo, and plenty of off-street parking.
Quiet Retreats
Our day-long, mini-weekend and full weekend retreats provide opportunities for slowing down and making space for the more in your life. We offer practices designed to quiet busy minds in order to make room for a deeper and richer experience of the divine.
Mercy Spirituality Center is a retreat center for people of all faiths. We believe that each of us, individuals and organizations alike, needs time apart to find, deepen, or refresh our connection to what matters most in life. We are deeply grateful to be able to offer our beautiful space to the community for rest, reflection and spiritual growth.
Facilitated Retreats
Our facilitated retreats center around contemplative practice, Ignatian Spirituality and finding God in nature. Check our "Retreats" page to see what’s up next or call to arrange an experience tailored to the needs of your group.
Group Retreat Opportunities
We believe in the value of time apart from the routines of daily life. In our warm, inviting space, Mercy Spirituality Center is uniquely able to offer intimate, experiential, contemplative retreats for your small group.
Call us to find out more about our weekend (Friday evening – Sunday lunch) and mini-weekend (Friday evening - Saturday late afternoon) offerings. Call 585-473-6893. Or email us at: info@mercyspiritualitycenter.org. But contact us early! Available weekends fill quickly.