St. Margaret'sRetreatMinistry organizes several adult retreats each year, usually in Advent, Lent and summer. These overnight gatherings provide a good balance of fellowship and quiet time as we step away from the clamor of our routines to reflect on our faith journeys. Our lay-led weekends include creative worship, discussion, solitude, and shared meals. Upcoming Retreats
December 2010: Advent Quiet Day: TBD
April 1-3, 2011 Lenten Retreat at Memorial House in Rehoboth Beach, DE.
Past Retreat Themes
2009
Advent: Visions of Work
Scripture and pieces by contemporary spiritual writers guided retreatants as they delved into the meaning of their own work—paid and unpaid.
2008
Advent: Shepherds and Kings
Reflecting on W.H. Auden’s For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio, retreatants identified with the challenges of the shepherds and kings in the Christmas story.
2007
Advent: Struggles and Hopes
Joan Chittister’s examination of the story of Jacob’s wrestling with the angel was a gateway into reflections on retreatants’ own struggles.
2006
Advent: What Child Is This?
Retreatants studied the scriptures for three great feasts: Christmas, Holy Name, and Epiphany.
2005
Spring: Beach Reading
Spitually themed works by contemporary writers invited retreatants to probe issues in their own lives and souls.
Advent: As We Forgive Those . . .
The story of the prodigal son, and Henri Nouwen’s reflections on it, sparked rich discussion about the challenging call to forgiveness.
2004
Advent: Messiah Musing
Retreatants listened to and drew insights from Handel’s beloved masterpiece.
2003
Summer: The Puzzle of Prayer
Drawing on Margaret’s Guenther’s writings, retreatants explored the why, when, where, and how of prayer.
Advent: An Advent Carol
Charles Dickens’s tale of Ebenezer Scrooge prompted thoughtful looks at past, present, and future.
2002
Lent: Journey Into Holy Week
Retreatants examined the Tridium liturgies.
Summer: More Life, Less Stuff
Retreatants explored the role that clutter―literal and spiritual―plays in our lives, and sought to clear space for the holy.
Advent: Gifts From the Sea
Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s classic sparked reflection and discussion on the need for stillness―and the insights that come out of it.
2001
Lent: Vision
Using the metaphor of sight―literal and figurative―retreatants refined their spiritual vision.
Summer: Big Words
Drawing on Scripture and the writing of Kathleen Norris, retreatants plumbed the meaning of “salvation”; “Father”; and “Christian.”
Advent: Harry Potter and the Riddles of Community
Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwarts offered retreatants a chance to wrestle with the questions―and challenges―of what it means to be a community.
2000
Lent: Healing Journeys
Drawing on the writings of John Claypool, retreatants reflected on the need for healing from the wounds of grief, grievance, and guilt.
Summer: 3:16―A Core Sample of Scripture
Like scientists taking core samples, retreatants looked at verse 3:16 from various books in the Bible.
Advent: My Soul in Silence Waits
Using a book by Margaret Guenther, retreatants studied Psalm 62 and its theme of waiting.
1999
Lent: Christ’s Seven Last Words
Retreatants reflected on the traditional “seven last words” uttered by Christ during his Passion.
Summer: Sabbath Keeping
The traditional Jewish Sabbath served as a lens for reflecting on the need for quiet in one’s life.
Advent: How Can This Be?
Retreatants pondered the question that Mary posed to Gabriel and connected it to times of questioning in their own lives.
1998
Summer: Baking Bread
Terry Doyle guided retreatants in the art of baking bread, while Scripture and selections from contemporary writers sparked reflection.
1997
Lent: Walk in Love . . .
Retreatants pondered the weekly admonition to “Walk in love, as Christ loved us” and reflected on how to live that out.
Summer: Tell Me a Story
Discussions drew on selections from Listening for God, a collection of works with spiritual themes.
Advent: What Are We Waiting For?
Retreatants explored what they are waiting for, both in terms of the Christmas story and in their own lives.
1996
Advent: Emmanuel
Retreatants explored what it meant to have “God with us”―and to be with God.