Retreats and Programs

Villa Pauline Retreat and Spiritual Center                                                                         offers a variety of retreats and programs to lay women and men, religious women and men and priests desiring to deepen their relationship with God.

A registration form is provided for each retreat and program which can be printed and/or mailed.  Please make checks payable to:                                                                                                              Villa Pauline Retreat and Spiritual Center                                      Program and retreat registrations are non-transferrable/non-refundable.
For more information, please call Sister Marie Pauline at 973-738-4266.

  PROGRAMS FOR 2021-2022
 

St Joseph Man of the Year  Friday October 15, 2021

Let Go and Trust God  Saturday October 30, 2021

The Power of the Serenity Prayer Saturday February 26, 2022

Lenten Prayer: Return to the Root  Tuesdays March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5. 2022

Lenten Day of Prayer: The Parables of Mercy  Saturday March 12, 2022 

Poetry As A Spiritual Practice Friday April 29, 2022

GENERAL REGISTRATION FORM/documents/2019/2/General%20Registration%20Form-1.pdf 

                                                  RETREATS FOR 2022

DIRECTED RETREAT:   June 21-28, 2021 Villa Pauline       
            Directors: Carol Makravitz, SCC,  Teresa Skierkowski, SCC, TBA

The focus of this retreat is a person’s relationship with God. Scripture, prose, poetry and other materials are offered for prayer and reflection. Retreatants will have the opportunity to meet daily with a spiritual director for guidance, discernment and affirmation in developing a deeper and richer relationship with God. Daily Eucharistic Liturgy and the Sacrament of Reconciliation  will be available. This six day Ignatian directed retreat is an invitation to reflect on how we are meeting God in our prayer and in our life experiences.


PREACHED RETREAT: May 15-22, 2022    Motherhouse                                                                            Facilitator: Father Vincent Fortunato, O.F.M. Cap., M.A.
                       Theme: TBA
Father Vinnie Fortunato, a priest of the Province of the Stigmata Capuchin Franciscans, has served as vocation director, novice master, a member of the general council and provincial. He has taught the art of spiritual direction at Washington Theological Union, Washington, D.C. Currently, he serves as a retreat master and teacher in the art of contemplative spiritual direction. A graduate of Creighton University’s Christian Spirituality Program, Fr. Vinnie is co-director of the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) Seminar. He also serves as Parochial Vicar at St. Ann Parish, Hoboken, NJ.

GUIDED RETREAT:  July 15-21, 2022   Villa Pauline

 Facilitator: Chris Koellhoffer, IHM                                                                                                                    Theme:  Many Voices Made of Longing
The poet Rilke reminds us that our blood is alive with many voices telling us we are made of longing.  Sometimes those voices speak in a soft whisper; sometimes, an insistent shout. Always, there call is to a profound listening, so we might mine the divine desire for us as well as our own collective ache for communion and belonging. Where are we being called to a deeper resonance with the wounds and hopes of our time? How might we more fully serve as fields of healing presence for our beautiful yet wounded wound?

This guided retreat will offer prayer and input, handouts for reflection, times of stillness and sharing. Please bring a Bible, a journal, and your own listening heart.
Chris Koellhoffer, a Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM – Scranton), is an author, presenter, and spiritual guide. Her worldview has been profoundly shaped by people on the margins, by the arts, and by the power of story. Her background is in communications and spirituality through Fordham University and the Center for Spirituality and Justice, New York City. She is a longtime contributor to Living Faith and the author of several books, including Longing for the Endless Immensity: Reflection and Prayer for Living a Life That Matters.
Sister engages in mobile spirituality ministry throughout the United States and Canada, offering retreats and presentations on the road. Visit her blog, Mining the Now, at chriskoellhofferihm.org


PREACHED RETREAT:  August 7-14, 2022                                                                                              Facilitator: Lawrence Lewis, M.M. Ph.D                                                                             
                               Theme:  WAITING – PERCEPTION – PRAYER
When life forces us to wait, we are reminded we are not in control of our lives.  We can become anxious, angry, afraid, and more aware of our vulnerability and powerlessness.  With time and accommodations, our perception of ourselves, life, others, and God begins to change.  The anger, fear and anxiety may gradually transform into hope.  How does this transformation in perception come about?  Rev. Frank Matera writes, "Our own perceptions are often based on first impressions and quick judgment of the externals, but . . . we proclaim that death is the gateway to life, and that the cross is the sign of God’s power and victory.  To correct our perceptions, we need to see the world from atop the cross."   Von Balthasar said, "All prayer is waiting." This retreat will offer a closer look at the experience of waiting.

Father Larry Lewis, M.M. was ordained a Maryknoll priest in 1975 and served in Taiwan and China.  He has served as rector of seminarians and as coordinator of the China Education and Formation program at Maryknoll. He offered retreats throughout China and the Cenacle Retreat Center, Ronkonkoma, NY. He holds an MA in pastoral counseling from St. Paul’s, Ottawa, and a Ph.D. in spirituality from Duquesne University.  He authored The Misfit – Haunting the Human/Unveiling the Divine about his time in China.  He is in demand internationally as a speaker and spiritual director.
 

 
19th ANNOTATION of the SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
The 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises is a profound and transformative retreat experience that is made over a period of nine months in daily life.  The Exercises are organized around four “weeks” as they were originally given during the structure of a 30 day retreat.  St. Ignatius himself found that many people could not, because of family or business reasons, take thirty days off, leave home, and go away for a retreat.  So he created an adaptation of the Exercises, which would be extended over a period of time.  This is what is known as the 19th Annotation. 
September 2021--May 2022 or call for other options.  $750—$1400 sliding scale. To register call S Teresa at 201-602-2235 or S Carol at 570-704-9903 for more information.  Register by August 1, 2021.