DeKoven Sponsored Retreats and Events
 Please join us each week & month…
| Every Tuesday at Noon The Tuesday Fellowship St. Mary’s Chapel, inside Taylor Hall at DeKoven Ecumenical Celebration of Holy Communion, followed by Reception in Taylor Dining Room. | Â |
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2010 AT A GLANCE
DeKoven’s Silent Lenten Retreat
March 5-7
Abbot Andrew Marr, OSB, of St. Benedict’s Abbey, Three Rivers, MI will lead DeKoven’s Lenten Retreat, to be held this year March 5-7. The Retreat  begins with a reception at 5:00 pm on Friday and closes at 10:00 on Sunday morning, following the Holy Eucharist and brunch.  Abbot Andrew has titled his retreat “The Risen Forgiving Victim: Following the Prince of Peace into the Pascal Mystery.” Meditations will focus not only on the Passion of Christ but on the first-fruit of his Resurrection, all within “the context of the Benedictine rhythm of prayer,” Abbot Andrew promises.Over the centuries, the Benedictine rule has remained faithful to the Christian vision of wholeness and health, the Christian vision of that common life which we are called to live in Christ. Although St. Benedict might not recognize our world today, he would recognize our spiritual dilemmas as much the same. Abbot Andrew will be a trusted guide, as will St. Benedict along with him.The rhythm of the hours will follow the monastic practice of daily Office and Eucharist, with silence for personal reflection and four Meditations in all, a balance that will prepare retreatants for Holy Week’s new enactment of the Passion and help them follow the Prince of Peace into the true joy of the Pascal Mystery.Suggested donation: $200.00          Â
Commuter rate and partial scholarship available
To register, email jpeyton@dekovencenter.org
To ask about the Retreat itself, email kclark@dekovencenter.org
Second Tuesday
March 9
On March 9, the Second Tuesday presenter will be the Rev. Kevin Goodman, associate dean of St. James’ Cathedral in Chicago. For many years Fr. Goodwin served in a Midnight Ministry to displaced young people of the City, some of them not much older than children. His talk will be on that ministry and also on the lessons of faith and hope he learned from those he befriended, many of whom had simply been cast aside by life.Â
Meet at 10:00 am for coffee and conversation with Meditation to follow at 10:30 am. The regular Tuesday Eucharist follows at noon for those who are able to stay.Â
CREATIVE SPACEÂ
March 12-14
Imagine a weekend with no distractions where you are free to engage in your favorite creative activity.
Lodging, meals & “creative space” included.
Spring is the perfect time for artists, musicians, poets, photographers and crafters to gather for a space of uninterrupted leisure to pursue their individual art by day and, in the evening, enjoy conversation and companionship with like-minded people who treasure creative expression.Â
Begins Friday at noon with lunch and concludes after lunch on Sunday.Â
Suggested donation:Â $200Â Â Â Â Commuter Rate:Â $125
To register call Julia Peyton at 262-633-6401 or e-mail jpeyton@dekovencenter.org
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THE DEKOVEN CENTER PRESENTS
The “New Wine” Series
featuring
KATHLEEN NORRIS
New York Times Best Selling Author
and beloved Speaker recognized nationally
May 19, 2010
in the Great HallÂ
6:30 - 9:30 pm
Reception, dinner, address, and Queries
Compline by Candlelight in Historic St. John’s
PLUS
OPTIONAL OVERNIGHT IN TAYLOR HALL
AND
BREAKFAST WITH KATHLEEN
Suggested Donation: $50:00 for New Wine Event Wednesday evening
Additional $100.00 for Optional Overnight and Breakfast
“THE SEARCH FOR HOPE AND MEANING:
A SPIRITUALITY FOR THE REAL WORLD”
The title for this talk mirrors the one search which Kathleen assures us we come back to repeatedly, much as the writer, each day, must “confront the blank page.”
Kathleen’s wisdom is honed by her own life. Hers is not the story of the mountain top, but of the dark and the ordinary, where Kathleen has found God on the very plains and deserts that life itself provides. For her, the bottom line is hope itself.
Kathleen is Christian, and her story is Christian. Yet, even more important, Kathleen is human, and it is this human story that rings poignant and true in every telling. She speaks as she writes, with the freedom of a poet that makes our own free response part of the listening. We understand our own story better because of hers!
From Interview: “I think living through life’s barren plains is the key, living through it and knowing there’s a path through. In the darkness of depression or grief, we wait. We pay attention. We listen. When the desert begins to bloom again, it is God’s doing. It is God who brings water out of the rock. We need to be receptive to these moments.”
“So you have doubts?” two monks once asked me. “Good! God can work with doubts! Sit with us in choir, they said, keep showing up, something good will come of this.”
Kathleen’s books will be available for purchase and signing!
For reservations call Julia Peyton at 262-633-6401 or e-mail jpeyton@dekovencenter.org
For information on event e-mail kclark@dekovencenter.org
CSM LONG SILENT RETREAT
June 13-17
with Father Brian Hastings
and beginning with a very special Reception celebrating the Community of St. Mary and the Sisters we love!
Each of the Sisters will speak briefly about the Community, about their new lives after the Convent closed and the work of DeKoven came to an end, and about the mystery of vocation. Associates will have the chance to speak too, if they would like to share their own memories of the Sisters, and of the Community itself.Â
After at least 100 years of faithfully offering these Retreats (both at the Convent in Kenosha and The DeKoven Center), the Sisters believe this June Retreat may be their last. It has been a long and fruitful time by any measure. Associates can still remember the full choir of 50 or more Sisters in full habit in the beautiful chapel at Kemper Hall! For 145 years, the prayers of the Sisters, their devotion and example have nourished entire generations, and us along with them- and never more than now!
But the Long Retreat will not end! Max Dershem is determined to continue this offering as part of DeKoven’s heritage. His hope is that having Father Brian here for this last Retreat will send us with glad hearts into the new Retreats that still lie ahead, thankful for the steadfast foundation the Sisters have laid for us.Â
Opening Reception Sunday afternoon 4:40-6:30 pmÂ
Retreat begins with opening Meditation at 8:00 pmÂ
To register call Julia Peyton at 262-633-6401 or e-mail jpeyton@dekovencenter.org
For questions about this celebration, email kclark@dekovencenter.org
A Marriage Enrichment Retreat
September 23-26, 2010
Thursday 5:00 pm - Sunday noon
with
Clay and Jane Turner
nationally acclaimed presenters and “coaches” for over 30 years
This Retreat is not for marriage therapy; it is not even designed for marriage encounter. This Retreat is for couples who are committed to each other and to the health and joy of their life together.Â
For many years, Clay and Jane Turner have been conducting these Retreats throughout the country and regularly at Kanuga where their offering is among the most popular. Married since l961, they have been engaged in Marriage Enrichment since l974, having completed basic and advanced training with the Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment. Clay is an Episcopal priest and holds clinical membership in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Â
Newly returned from their latest Retreat, Jane had this to say: “Most married people learn soon after the wedding that the promises they made to each other during the ceremony are difficult to keep. What does it mean to have a mutually joyful relationship? How do we love an cherish each other as we discover our differing needs and expectations? Learning the skills required to love each other is a lifelong task, and a decision to remain committed to the relationship is a choice we make regularly.
“Come experience the weekend retreat at The DeKoven Center which will provide a relaxed, fun environment in which to celebrate your strengths and explore the potential of your marriage. Clay and Jane use their 48 years of experience in their own marriage with a humorous touch to help husbands and wives identify with common issues shared by all couples. The Retreat weaves together the spiritual values of the Church’s vision for marriage with recent discoveries in behavioral and social science. Bring your good marriage and learn some new skills to make it even better!”
The setting itself could not be better. DeKoven’s campus will be turning toward fall, the gardens resplendent with summer beauty. Lake Michigan just at campus edge makes a welcoming space for walks and for watching the play of light on water. “Come and see,” Jane and Clay invite.
To quote recent participants of the Turners’ retreats: “This was fabulous. We hope to do this again in 5 years.” “We loved the retreat, and are going to get our married children to come to the next one.” “If you need our help in convincing people to join you, please tell them to call us!” “I wish we had done this 20 years ago!”
Suggested donation per couple: $600.00Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Deposit: $100.00
Partial Scholarship aid available
Preferred number: 10 couples
Don’t let yourselves miss this rare and beautiful time together!Â
To register please contact Julia Peyton at 262-633-6401 or jpeyton@dekovencenter.org
Marriage Enrichment Retreat
      The DeKoven Center
   September 23-26, 2010
Developing Our Potential for Mutual Joy
Thursday- 5:00 Gather for refreshments
           6:00- Supper
           7:30- Session 1- “To live together in the covenant of marriage”
                       Getting acquainted and celebrating our life together as couples
Friday - 8:00 Breakfast
           9:00- Session 2 -”The union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind”
                                   The Basics of Effective Communication
           10:30 - Break
           10:45 - Communicating Our Feelings with Understanding
12:30 -Â Lunch
           1:30 - Session 3 - “Help and comfort given one another”
Recognizing our needs: Mine and YoursÂ
           3:30 - FREE TIME - “…and a companion in joy”
5:00 - Gather for refreshments
6:00 - Dinner
7:00 - Session 4 - “For better for worse, for richer for poorer”
                       When our needs collide, what do we do: learn negotiation skills
Saturday - 8:00 Breakfast
9:00 - Session 5 -”Give them grace, when they hurt each other”
                      Creative Use of Conflict
           10:30 - Break
           10:45 - Dealing with Anger Creatively
           12:30 - Lunch
1:30 - Â Session 6 –“Love, honor and cherish each other”
           Nurturing Fondness for each other                           Â
           3:00 - FREE TIME - take a hike, a nap, or whatever
           5:00 - Refreshments
           6:00 - Dinner
           7:00 - Session 7- “Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection”
The Pleasure of Physical Closeness
Sunday - 8:00 Â Â Breakfast
9:00 - Session 8 - “That we may grow in love and peace with one another all  our days”  Where do we want to go from here?
11:00 - Holy Eucharist and Celebration of Commitment
12:00 - Lunch - then head for home and brace for re-entry
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The DeKoven Center welcomes private guests and long-term sabbatical guests whenever space is available. Please call or e-mail us. Also, in most instances overnight accommodations are available for anyone who would like to come early or stay longer for our sponsored events.
