2019 Women Retreat Talks

You can access the 2019 AVI Women's Retreat videos here:


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUTRYlovPKDuEAN2tngAtxWwVbDl81FKh

2019 Women's Retreat song "His Spirit"

Sr. Ruth is allowing us to share her song, His Spirit, with you.  It is so beautiful. Enjoy.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/194yXLRRVeFSm_9XK6Vi7QBXL3y7nD7o6/view?ts=5dd617ed

We’re just a couple days away from a beautiful weekend with Jesus. You’ll have the gift of time to be in restful silence…to pray…to reflect…to listen…to let go of all the hurries and worries of your everyday life. You can indulge yourself and spend time alone with Our Lord, who knows you heart and soul, your every concern, burden and joy. He is always ready and waiting to engage with you; He who loves you so passionately and without reserve. He is with you in every moment…giving you His full and undivided attention…delighting in you.

“As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.” Is 62:5

Here are a few important notes for you before you arrive on Friday:

1.       Make room for Jesus: Our lives are so full that we often don’t realize how little room we have for relationship with Jesus.  So let’s start this weekend off right and give ourselves the opportunity to unwind and “retreat” from our everyday lives for just a little while. A GREAT way to do this is to UNPLUG! Start thinking now about how you’re going to leave that phone in your room and not go near it or look at it during the day. You say you have little ones who just won’t go to sleep at night unless they hear your voice, or your teenager won’t get that project done unless you check on him/her? The world will keep turning without your phone call.  Abandon your phone, computer, iPad, and other devices for two days, and I promise you the sun will still rise and set each day. So please, let’s keep our phones out of sight (and out of mind) during the weekend. If you must be on your phone, I encourage you to limit it to sometime in the evening when you can be in your room or during “free time” on Saturday afternoon, but definitely off somewhere away from other folks. (And thank you in advance for your cooperation!)

2.       In case of emergency: Of course you’ll want your loved ones to be able to reach you in case of an emergency, so please give them my number: Celeste Stoops (913) 709-8571. I’ll have my phone with me at all times and will be available day or night. If there is an emergency, I will come to you and let you know of it. A back-up number to call in case I can’t be reached: Lisa Schartz (785) 263-3828.

3.       Check-in starts on Friday at 4:30: If you show up much earlier than that, you’ll be put to work! (Since we want you to relax and unwind, I don’t recommend it. Those of you coming from the airport are exempt.) When you arrive for check-in, there will be signs above or on the tables in the entrance to guide you and members of our team to greet and assist you.

4.       You should be on Day 31 of “33 Days to Morning Glory”. Don’t forget to pack your book!

Update

Our retreat preparation for Monday, September 9^th brought us to Day 15 of “33 Days to Morning Glory”, with St. Teresa of Calcutta. We’re nearly halfway to consecration!

Please review the information you’ll need for the retreat weekend. It can also be found in the February 28 entry of the AVI Retreat Blog, and is titled, “FAQs”.

And finally…if someone you know might be interested in attending this retreat, please have her contact me at aviretreat@gmail.com. We have a few spaces available, and the person you have in mind could be just the one who the Holy Spirit is calling to attend. All she may need is a nudge or an invitation from you!

Pietra Fitness

We are very excited that you will be at the upcoming Apostles of the Interior Life Women’s Retreat. Whether you’re looking forward to hearing the talks, going to Mass and Adoration, meeting other women, or stepping back from the craziness of your everyday life to spend quiet time with God, we pray that this retreat gives you exactly what you need.

To enrich your retreat experience, we are offering free 20-minute Pietra Fitness classes on Saturday afternoon—and we invite you to join us! Regardless of your fitness level, there is a class for you. (Choose one, two or join us for all three!)

--Chair Class with Chris Mautino: As the name suggests, this class is practiced sitting in a chair or standing while using a chair for support. For the retreat, we will stay seated in the chair. If traditional classes with floor mats are uncomfortable for you, this class is perfect.

 -- Gentle Class with Tekla Bedwell: If you’re looking to relieve stress and anxiety, this class is for you. Incorporating both floor work and standing exercises with slow transitions, the peaceful pace and movements of this workout gently promote strength, flexibility, and improved balance. This calm and relaxing class is appropriate for a wide range of ages and abilities.

 -- Level 1 Class with Annie Tinker: This Level 1 class will revitalize your body and soul with a combination of floor work, standing exercises, and balancing postures. Transitions are quicker and more frequent than in a Gentle class, and strengthening postures are held for longer periods of time. When you’re done, you’ll feel strong, relaxed, and invigorated.

If you decide to join us for one of these optional Pietra Fitness classes, we recommend bringing comfortable clothes for the workout. We also suggest bringing a mat if you plan on doing the Gentle or Level 1 class/es. If you have any questions beforehand, feel free to email us at info@pietrafitness.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the retreat and helping you relax, refresh, and strengthen your body, mind, and soul. God bless, The Pietra Fitness Team PS. To learn more about Pietra Fitness and to sign up for our online workout videos, visit pietrafitness.com.

Retreat Prayers

We’ve placed ourselves and this retreat under the patronage of the Holy Family. Our team has been praying a First Sunday rosary for you, your families and the retreat since last fall. We invite you to join us in praying the First Sunday rosary for these intentions this coming Sunday, September 1^st. (If you can gather the family to pray it together, that’s all the better!) We’ve also been praying “Prayer to the Holy Family”, written by Pope Francis.

HOLY FAMILY PRAYER



Jesus, Mary and Joseph, in you we contemplate
the splendor of true love, to you we turn with trust.


Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic Churches.


Holy Family of Nazareth, may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division: may all who have
been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing.


Holy Family of Nazareth, make us once more mindful
 of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.


Jesus, Mary and Joseph, graciously hear our prayer.

Pope Francis, Angelus, December 29, 2013

Reminders from Celeste

I have a few of other reminders for you:

·        Please check with other women you know who are going to this retreat, to make sure they have seen this email and remember that we’re starting the preparation tomorrow. If a day is missed or the start is delayed, it’s okay! Don’t worry, because Fr. Gaitley addresses this in his book and on the video.
   

·         Please check the retreat blog every week to see what’s going on. There may be nothing exciting, but there also may be information that will be important to you: http://www.apostlesretreat.blogspot.com/. 

·         Please don’t hesitate to contact me at aviretreat@gmail.com if you have any questions.



 If you need an assisted listening device (amplifiers that bring sound directly into the ear and improve speech-to-noise ratio) for the retreat, please contact Debbie Huber at dawhuber@aol.com no later than Thursday, August 29^th.