Please join us for Christmas at the Springs and enjoy one of the most beautiful time’s of year here at SFSPC. 

Fr. Bob Menard OFM will leading this retreat and it will also include our annual Advent Taize musical program, which will certainly be a highlight of your Christmas season.

Click here to register.

Hosted by our friend, Dr. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, the B.L.A.C.K. Women’s Leadership Retreat is specifically curated for Black women leaders no matter your career, industry, life stage, or leadership role.

This two-day retreat is a curated space of Belonging, Loving, Accepting, Communing, and Knowing to support you, your purpose, and your work.

Dr. Natasha would love to welcome an intergenerational group of Black women from across the country to pause, reflect on the past year, and set your intentions for the upcoming year in a community that will support and celebrate wherever you are on your life and leadership journey.

What to expect from the retreat:

The retreat will be curated by Dr. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson with intentional times to engage the community, guided practices and space for your personal reflection, clarity, and rest.

The retreat will provide opportunities to ignite joy through play, beauty, and art.

The retreat grounds offer ample opportunities to simply be still in nature or be quiet with your own thoughts. The facility has walking trials, gardens, inside and outside prayer and meditation spaces, two libraries (including a curated African American library), and a bookstore. Occasionally, you might meet a family of deer.

There will be designated “break” or rest times throughout the retreat schedule. Other than showing up for mealtimes (to honor the times set and preparations made by the retreat staff), nothing is mandatory. The leaders are not the boss of you. Listen to yourself. Take a nap. Rest. Give your mind, body, and soul what it needs.

Register for the retreat here.

Silent Retreat

Do you need to take a time out to detach yourself from the world or do you need a place to find rest?

A weekend to step away with God into the silence before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is here.  Allow yourself to detach from the your normal life routines and rituals as you willingly submit to the gift of the silence, contemplation and reflection of this retreat.  

This is a retreat for those who desire an abbreviated silent retreat experience or those who would like to try a silent retreat for the first time in a shortened version.  Trained spiritual directors will be available.

Dates of Retreat

Nov 22 -24, 2024

Retreat Leader

Name, Second Name

Cost of the retreat

$320

Is This Retreat For Me?

WHAT IS A SILENT DIRECTED RETREAT?

A silent retreat takes place in complete silence, as the name suggests. When Jesus sent his disciples out, he told them to take nothing with them for the journey for he knew there was nothing they would need except to be open to the Spirit. The same is true for a silent retreat. During this time, you allow yourself to detach from your normal life routines and rituals and willingly submit to the silence of the retreat. This means you will intentionally let go of communications and connections (no emails, texts or phone calls) for the duration of the retreat in order to be in and experience the silence. In doing so, you commit that you will enter the silence completely and not engage with the “outside world”; rather, you will focus on what the silence brings you and what you notice happening with and to you in it.

HOW DOES THIS RETREAT WORK?

Retreatants will arrive on Friday and check in starting at 3pm. After settling into your room, dinner will be at 6pm in the main dining room. This will be the only meal during the retreat where we will not observe silence. After dinner, retreatants will attend an orientation meeting about the retreat. In this meeting, we will discuss the retreat schedule, what to expect during the retreat, discuss silence during meals and the availability of spiritual direction for retreatants. After orientation, you will enter the silence until the conclusion of the retreat on Sunday.

WHAT DO I DO DURING A SILENT RETREAT?

One of the most important points of making a silent retreat is to accept the invitation to move away from the culture of “doing”. In a retreat time, you may suddenly notice how tired you are, so you may engage in things like resting, listening, watching, simply being still in body and spirit or enjoying the outdoors, sitting or walking in nature, visiting the outdoor chapel, walking the labyrinth, etc. We discourage you from bringing a book or books to read for the retreat. That is not experiencing the silence, which is the point of giving yourself this time.

WHAT ARE THE RETREATANTS COMMITMENTS?

The retreatant commits to enter and observe the silence, to let go of outside communication and to be open to how the movement of the Divine may occur during this sacred time of silence. 

WHAT ABOUT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION?

​During a silent retreat, the opportunity to meet with an experienced, trained spiritual director is often made available to retreatants. Spiritual direction is an ancient ministry in which one who is formed and experienced as a director accompanies another on their spiritual journey. The opportunity for spiritual direction will be available on Saturday. You will be able to meet with an experienced spiritual director and speak about what is moving with you, what you are noticing, or what questions may be surfacing as you experience the silence. The director will listen, may ask or pose questions, may make observations, etc. Spiritual direction is confidential and takes place in a safe setting.

To register for the retreat click here.

Experience the transformative power of autumn with Tending the Harvest, a retreat inviting 20 participants to explore the season's profound symbolism. Amidst nature's symphony of plenty and decline, we delve into grief and gratitude, mirroring life's intricate cycle. Framed by Francis Weller’s gates of grief, we unravel the healing in being heard and received, discovering grief's role in soul expression and connection. Through movement, writing, and ritual, we deepen trust in body wisdom, open to stories of loss, and honor our grief. This work cultivates a spiritual gratitude muscle, strengthening our ability to face fear and scarcity with courage and compassion. Join us in this journey of personal and communal transformation, embodying soul activism for a critical time.

About the facilitators:

Samantha DiRosa, MFA, RYT, is a university professor, yoga instructor, ritualist, and expressive arts facilitator based in Greensboro, North Carolina. She brings 20 years of facilitation and teaching experience in the realm of higher-education, alongside an artist’s sensitivity and depth of insight, to her work with groups. Having mentored with Francis Weller, author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow, and Joanna Macy, author of Active Hope, she believes in the power of ritual and ceremony to transmute sorrow and loss into the healing of individuals, communities, and the Earth. 

Summer Estes MA, LCMHC, is a lifelong student passionate about creating transformative spaces. She is a wife, mother, licensed psychotherapist, breath facilitator, Enneagram teacher, mystic, inquisitive seeker, intuitive healer, soul activist, and founder of Embodied-Intelligence. Summer integrates perennial wisdom teachings with contemplative, somatic, and mindfulness practices, engaging in the practice of inquiry as a student of A.H. Almaas Diamond Approach. With over 18 years of experience in leading workshops, groups, and retreats in the healing arts, Summer has served on the faculty of The Second Breath Center, a wisdom school in Greensboro, NC. 

To register or learn more about the retreat, click here.

Please join us for an in-depth conversation with author and long time friend of SFSPC, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, to discuss his new book co-written with Rev. Dr. William Barber White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy. 

We are really looking forward to having Jonathan here to discuss this very timely book. Want to learn a little more about the book before signing up? Check out this recent interview between Jon Stewart and Rev. Dr. William Barber from the Daily Show.  

We are asking that everyone who signs up comes having read the book beforehand. When registering, there will be a place for you to fill out your address so that we can send you a copy of the book. 

The cost is $150 and includes a copy of the book.

Click here to sign up!

Attention Pastors and Ministry Leaders!

We invite you and your spouse to join us for "The Garden of Eden," a unique retreat designed specifically for those leading in ministry. This is your opportunity to recharge and refocus as you continue your vital work.

Retreat Highlights:

- Reconnect with your spouse and fortify your partnership in ministry.

- Find Rest and Renewal: Enjoy a peaceful setting that promotes personal and spiritual restoration through workshops for women | Men individually on day 2 & Workshops centered around your union & leadership on day 3

- Engage in meaningful fellowship with other leaders, sharing experiences and building supportive connections.

- Receive encouragement and insight to invigorate your leadership, marriage and ministry.

The retreat will be lead by Ian and JaCynthia Bailey.

For over a decade, the Baileys have journeyed  through the course of marriage - both mountaintops and valleys. The real fruit of their relationship, however, they credit to Christ

Ian earned his Masters of Divinity from Duke University. He pastored in the Methodist tradition for nine years. Currently, he leads a weekly Mens Bible Study and is authoring a book. Together with his bride, they shepherd an online faith community, InTouch Ministry.

JaCynthia holds a degree in Behavioral Science from North Carolina Central University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Clinical Counseling and Pastoral Care. She is a passionate mentor of women in ministry, leading them through the journey of spiritual healing.

Ian and JaCynthia have hosted seven InTouch Marriage Retreats as well as several cohorts and workshops, all centered upon a return to the original design of God's image.Currently they reside in Charlotte, North Carolina where they first met. They have a blended family, two girls/two boys and one sweet golden doodle.

Join them for a transformative experience that will refresh your spirit, enhance your effectiveness as a leader and  leave you invigorated and ready for the journey ahead.

To learn more about the retreat or if you have any questions, please contact JaCynthia directly by emailing her at jc.bailey348@gmail.com 

Click here to register.

Marie Dennis has long-standing witness and leadership within the Catholic peace and justice movement and as the former co-president of Pax Christi International and current program chair for the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative has made extensive efforts to deepen the Catholic Church’s commitment to nonviolence as a core value of the Gospel.

Dennis will focus the retreat around peace, non-violence, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Click here to register.

Inspired by the documentary The Big Silence with Abbot Christopher Jamison and encouraged by several Clergy School of the Spirit students, this 4-day mostly silent retreat will now be grounded in the writings of Ruth Haley Barton's Invitation to Solitude and Silence as well as newer prayer resources and prayer stations.

After the hectic holiday season, get away for a time of rest, renewal, reflecting, and recharging. Set a course for 2024 with deep listening to the Spirit and experiencing God's transforming presence.

Visit https://www.thebigsilence.org/register.html to register for the retreat!

Please join us for a five day icon retreat with Fr. Damian Higgins. Fr. Damian Higgins is a gifted artist and teacher. He has been painting icons for his monastery and for churches and homes around the world for nearly 30 years. He began teaching the process at the request of those who felt drawn to the depth and beauty of the art form and wanted to understand more about its spirituality and theology.

During this retreat you will learn about the ancient art of icon making and Fr. Damien will guide the group as everyone creates their own icon. There is no prior experience necessary in order to attend this retreat. The cost of this retreat is $850 which includes meals and lodging.

For our fourth annual Blessings Weekend we are celebrating longtime friend of St. Francis Springs, Catherine Anderson.

“The Call to Holiness in Today’s World”

In 2018, Pope Francis wrote a letter with this title to the People of God, and in the the letter he writes that “We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.” 

What does Pope Francis mean by this? What does it mean to be “called to holiness” in our modern and complex world? In this retreat, we will take a closer look at Pope Francis’s letter. Each morning we will look at excerpts from the letter and have opportunity for discussion. There will also be mass each day (except Friday), and for those who wish, opportunity to meet with a spiritual director. 

This retreat will be a silent retreat, and so except for presentations, individual meetings, and liturgies, our time together will be in silence. In the midst of our busy and active lives, this is an invitation to come away for a while and spend some time with the Lord. All are welcome!

Presenter: Fr. Steven Patti, OFM. Fr. Steve is a Franciscan friar currently serving as pastor at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Macon, GA. He has served at parishes in Wilmington DE, Durham NC, Providence RI, Raleigh NC, New York City, and now Macon, in addition to serving at St. Francis Inn, a Franciscan soup kitchen in Philadelphia. He has a Masters of Divinity from the Washington Theological Union. He is drawn to Franciscan spirituality, reading, hiking, and Pope Francis’s “culture of encounter.”

The cost for the retreat is $650.

Please email info@stfrancissprings.com or call Holly at 336 573-3751 to secure your spot.

Chris Budnick, MSW, LCSW, LCAS, CCS is the Executive Director of Healing Transitions and has been working in the addiction treatment and recovery field since 1993. Chris became a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor in 1998.

This retreat will afford the many opportunities for respite, reflection, and fellowship.

When we take a long, loving look at the real, we see the vast landscape of divine mercy, grace, and fruitfulness into which our single lives are planted. ~ Walter Burghardt

One of the gifts of eldering is the realization that each moment is a precious, not-to-be repeated gift. The goal of this retreat is to help us enhance our attentiveness to the now through brief teachings, a variety of contemplative practices within a safe and confidential community. This retreat will provide an opportunity to reflect on attentiveness and presence in the moments of our lives; the longings and barriers to being fully present to the now; and practices to attune our beings to attentive living.  We will have brief teachings, small listening groups, group reflection times, and opportunities to experience practices that open us to being fully present to now. Opportunities to explore attentiveness through movement led by Charlie Butler, and visual arts led by Susan Michie-Bent will be available Monday and Tuesday afternoons. St. Francis Springs’s provides a safe and quiet setting for our retreat, set on 140 acres of beautiful and peaceful wooded property in North Carolina’s rolling hills, away from the busyness and distractions of daily life. We hope you will join us!

Retreat Leaders:

• Pattie Butler, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist with over 26 years of experience, brings a wealth of experience along with a love for attending to the deep movement of Spirit in individuals and group.  She is a graduate of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation Retreat Leadership program.

• Anne Findlay-Chamberlain worked as a counselor for 15 years before following a call to pastoral ministry. In addition to 24 years of experience in parish ministry, Anne is also a graduate of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership program and a trained Spiritual Director through the Charlotte Spirituality Center.

• Susan Mitchie-Bent is a retired pastor and an artist who loves to make art accessible and shame free.

• Charlie Butler is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice.  He also trained for 25 years with Master Eric Sbarge and is certified a Laoshr (teacher level) of the practice of Tai Chi Chuan.

Cost: $525 per person for single occupancy, $375 per person for double occupancy

To learn more/register please contact Pattie Butler at pjbutler-msw@earthlink.net

The Enneagram is an ancient, powerful tool that identifies nine distinct personality types and provides an in-depth map of each type's psychological and spiritual dimensions. The Instincts are our inborn, natural embodied drives that connect us to the web of life and show us how the body is inextricably intertwined with and influences our psychospiritual work. “Type is Temperament; Instinct is Intelligence.”  Join Riso-Hudson Certified Enneagram Teacher Deborah Delano for a weekend workshop on the surprising spiritual and practical implications of instinct work with the Enneagram. $400 for the weekend as a couple.  Please call the Center to make reservations.

Inspired by the documentary The Big Silence with Abbot Christopher Jamison and encouraged by several Clergy School of the Spirit students, this 4-day mostly silent retreat will now be grounded in the writings of Ruth Haley Barton's Invitation to Solitude and Silence as well as newer prayer resources and prayer stations.

After the hectic holiday season, get away for a time of rest, renewal, reflecting, and recharging. Set a course for 2024 with deep listening to the Spirit and experiencing God's transforming presence.

Visit https://www.thebigsilence.org/register.html to register for the retreat!

Please join us for a five day icon retreat with Fr. Damian Higgins. Fr. Damian Higgins is a gifted artist and teacher. He has been painting icons for his monastery and for churches and homes around the world for nearly 30 years. He began teaching the process at the request of those who felt drawn to the depth and beauty of the art form and wanted to understand more about its spirituality and theology.

During this retreat you will learn about the ancient art of icon making and Fr. Damien will guide the group as everyone creates their own icon. There is no prior experience necessary in order to attend this retreat. The cost of this retreat is $850 which includes meals and lodging.