HOMELESS RETREAT MINISTRY
supported by the Ignatian Spirituality Project
“The Church exists to bring about an encounter with the visceral love of God’s mercy. To do this the Church must go outside to look where people live, where they suffer, where they hope. The Christian message is transmitted by embracing those in difficulty, by embracing the outcast, the marginalized.” Pope Francis
Click image to listen to the experiences
of men who attended our retreat.
Ignatian Spirituality
Project Story
The Ignatian Spirituality Project began in 1998 when Fr. Bill Creed, SJ was invited to begin making the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius available to the economically disadvantaged. Together with his friend Ed Shurna, they created a retreat that brought hope. The Exercises, a program with some 500 years of tradition focuses on seeking union with God and achieving inner freedom.
The wisdom of the Exercises expressed in the contemporary language of the 12-Step recovery program provides a unique backdrop for ISP retreats and a helpful starting point for our retreatants.
Long lasting transformation is only possible when one has a fundamental paradigm of hope: ISP retreats provide that spark. Ultimately ISP hopes that Mt. Carmel’s efforts will help end homelessness.
STEWARDS of the Homeless Retreat Ministry
We know you give to this ministry because you care about those who struggle in life. And we want you to know the difference you are making with your time and financial contribution. We will keep in touch with you:
- You will hear the experiences from the participants in written and video format.
- You can volunteer to transport the homeless to and from the retreat.
- You will be invited to attend our annual witness of faith evening where you will hear stories from the parishioners who led the retreats and accompanied the homeless men and women.
HELP TRANSFORM LIVES
The Homeless Retreat Ministry at Mt. Carmel invites Christ into the lives of retreat attendees in a powerful and unique way. Participants and parishioners meet Christ through each other’s lives. Through conversations with those we typically do not speak with, we grow closer to Christ in a new way, broadening and deepening our sense of the Christian community and Christ’s invitation to love the stranger.
Why support Mt. Carmel's Homeless Retreat Ministry?
FAITH: This ministry provides the poor with the opportunity to discover faith in God and Jesus Christ – It is a gift that will always be with them unlike material possessions that we know can sometimes be fleeting. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. (John 12:8)
HOPE: The Homeless Retreat Ministry provides hope to homeless men and women through newfound faith in Jesus Christ and a community that cares for them.
UNITY: When have you ever known the story and life of someone personally who is homeless? Most people do not have such experiences. The Homeless Retreat Ministry uniquely connects people of different socio-economic conditions together. It moves relationships beyond appearance and helps us know and understand different people. It responds to Pope Francis’ call to accompaniment, “[W]e need a church capable of walking at people’s side, of doing more than simply listening to them; a church that accompanies them on their journey;”.
There are SO many ways to support this ministry:
- Help with transportation to and from retreats
- Purchase or put together care packages for the retreat particpants
- Assist with regular follow-up meetings
- Tell others about this ministry
- Donate to support the retreats and training needed for this ministry. Any amount is greatly appreciated.
$150 – supports the basic costs for one homeless individual to attend our overnight spiritual retreat
$300 –additionally supports the training parish volunteers require to run this specialized retreat for homeless individuals
$550 – supports the full operational costs of one homeless individual through the homeless ministry – direct retreat costs, training, and ongoing events for the retreat participant.
The cost to hold one retreat each for men and women this year, including all tranining and support from the national initiative is approximately $12,000. Eventually we want to run four retreats per year - 2 for men and 2 for women. Please consider what you can give to make this a stable ministry at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
Thank you for supporting this ministry. You have contributed to the transformation of someone else’s faith in Jesus Christ.