Where are You Sending Me?

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' 'Here I am,' I said; 'send me!'" Isaiah 6:8

 

Date:        Friday, January 5, 2024

                Saturday, January 6, 2024

 

Location    Friday, Blessed Trinity Church, Sheboygan Falls.

• 5:30 p.m.     Adoration (optional)

• 6:30 p.m.     Mass

• 7:15 p.m.     Hearing the voice of Baby Jesus Featuring Reverend Michael Lawinger

• 8:30 p.m.     Social time and dessert

 

Saturday, January 6, Lakeland University, Plymouth

• 9 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.    Continental breakfast

• 9:30 a.m.                  How To Hear The Lord’s Voice: Does God Have A Mission For Me? Featuring Gina Loehr

• 11 a.m.                     Small group #1

• Noon - 1:45 p.m.      Lunch & sacred solitude time

  • Reconciliation

  • Contemplation and prayer

  • Walking rosary

• 2 p.m.                       Small Group #2

• 3:15 p.m.                  Small Group #3

• 4:30 p.m.                  Closing

 

Cost           
$35 per person early bird price (both days)

$45 per person after December 23 (both days)

$35 per person for just Saturday

$10 per person for just Friday

 

Registration      Register online at https://forms.gle/yAm7UDuw3qVpAr638

                           Pay via check or cash at any Sheboygan County Parish office.

 

Inspirational Presentations

 

Friday

Hearing the voice of Baby Jesus Featuring Reverend Michael Lawinger

God speaks to us in many ways, so it's especially good in this Christmas season to reflect on the incarnation and the special way that Jesus speaks to us as a baby. In our world filled with noise and distractions time spent in prayer with the baby Jesus can give us what we really need, His peace!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fr. Lawinger entered Seminary right out of high school, studying at St. Joseph's College Seminary at Loyola University Chicago, where he earned degrees in philosophy and history. After graduating in 2017 he continued his studies at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee. He was ordained a priest in May of 2021, and is currently serving as the Associate Pastor of Christ King and St. Bernard's parishes in Wauwatosa.

 

 

 

Saturday

How To Hear the Lord’s Voice: Does God Have a Mission for Me? Featuring Gina Loehr

We hear the Church’s call to evangelize, but isn’t that for Apostles, missionaries, or canonized saints? How can we share the Gospel in our standard, everyday lives - right here in Sheboygan County? The truth is that God has a mission for you. He sent his Son, Jesus, to help you discover and embrace that mission. He tells us, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” When we learn to know and heed his voice, we get a roadmap to our own personal missionary journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gina is the mother of six children and the author of five books on Catholic spirituality including, The Church is Our Mother: Seven Ways She Inspires us to Love. She holds a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and an undergraduate degree in theatre studies. Gina has worked in youth ministry, pro-life outreach, and taught at both the high school and university levels. A speaker and writer who contributes regularly to Magnificat and HearthandField.com, Gina is also a certified spiritual director and has been homeschooling various combinations of her children for the past eleven years. She lives on a century dairy farm in Fond du Lac County with her husband, Joe.

 

Small Group Descriptions

Participants will select three small groups to attend.

 

Prayer: Connecting with the Present… In Loving Presence Hosted by Laura Hancock

There is no better way to explore the theme of this retreat, “Where are You Sending Me?” than by discovering one’s present location as always being held within the loving gaze of God. In this session, we’ll connect the wisdom of some of our faith tradition’s favorite writers on contemplative life with our lived experience of prayer. Please join us as we grow together through conversation and a period of contemplative prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

Laura is the founder and spiritual care provider of Soulcare MKE, a spiritual care practice specializing in monthly spiritual direction, the facilitation of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the offering of retreats and workshops on a variety of topics. She facilitates Urban Plunge immersion programs through Casa Romero Jesuit Renewal Center and is on the leadership team of Ignatian Volunteer Corps. Laura’s educational background includes an undergraduate degree in music education, master’s degrees in the Cultural Foundations of Education and Lay Ministry, as well as formation from Loyola University and credentialing from the Midwest Province of Jesuits to serve as a spiritual director. Laura was recognized as a Vatican II Award recipient for her commitment to interfaith relationships. She originally hails from New York and lives with her family in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood.

 

Healing Beyond Circumstance:  The Path to Healing, Wholeness and Holiness Hosted by Christine Immel

This workshop will explore all that the Catholic Faith has to offer on our journey to heal. Together, we will discover the enormous power of the Sacramental Life, deepen our identity in Christ, proclaim the Truth, and open ourselves up to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.  Participants will leave with some practical tools that will help them develop (or enhance) their spiritual practices and devotions.  Our path to wholeness will be affirmed and supported by one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christine serves as the Co-Director of Christian Formation at the Sheboygan South Catholic Parishes.   Her passion for healing ministry comes from her own personal experience with chronic illness and disability and is sustained by the desire to resurrect an essential Gospel message we often overlook:  All healing is the result of Divine Union.  To support her efforts, she received a certificate in Lay Ministry from the St. Clare Center for Catholic Life at Cardinal Stritch University and set out to spread the message of awakening to Divine Union in the Eucharist.  Christine is currently in formation to become a Secular Franciscan with the St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity in Milwaukee, WI and is developing a platform to share her story and to re-awaken the faithful to the healing message of Christ.

 

Where Are You Sending Me?  Listening For the Voice Of God Hosted by Monica Meagher, MDiv. 

In the midst of our busy lives with all of our struggles, questions, and decisions, how do we hear the voice of God?  How do we open to the help and guidance that God so freely gives?  In this workshop we will explore the art and skill of spiritual discernment – simple yet profound ways to listen for God’s direction in our lives.  The help of God is always at hand. The guidance of God never fails.

“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you seek me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord.”  Jeremiah 29:11-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monica is a certified spiritual director with over 30 years of experience.  Professionally, she has been an educator, a parish minister, and a spiritual director at Marquette University.  Currently she is the director of the Milwaukee Ignatian Volunteer Corps which brings together spirituality and social justice.  Monica’s foundations are in the Catholic Christian tradition and especially Ignatian spirituality.  She is certified to lead people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and considers this to be a primary call and focus. 

 

Pietra Fitness Exercise Class Hosted by Sherry Winkel

What is Pietra Fitness? It is a stretching and strengthening exercise class that integrates Christian prayer into the workout. It is a wellness program for those who seek full integration of mind, body, and soul. Stretch and strengthen the body in combination with Christian prayer and meditation based on Catholic spirituality. Pietra Fitness means “rock” in Italian. Foundations built on rock are the strongest, and Pietra Fitness is designed to provide a strong foundation for the whole person. Come and experience a Pietra Fitness workout with Sherry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sherry is a recently retired licensed massage therapist. She is married to her husband Dave for 43 years, has 3 grown children, and 4 beautiful grandchildren. Sherry enjoys gardening, both vegetable and floral, along with staying active, including hiking, biking, camping, and travel. Sherry was introduced to Pietra Fitness about 5 years ago. The Holy Spirit led her to take the course to certify teaching gentle, intermediate, and advanced classes. Sherry teaches classes on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings in Kiel at SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church site. Pietrafitness.com.

 

Note, participants must sign a waiver and bring an exercise mat, large towel (optional), water bottle, and dress in layers.

 

Building Your Domestic Church: Practical Tips for Cultivating Faith In Children & Grandchildren

Hosted by Grace Mazza Urbanski

 

This workshop will feel like a fun mini retreat, offering time to laugh, hear stories, and reflect on how Jesus pays close attention to us every minute of the day. Parents & grandparents will leave feeling inspired and equipped to share faith and prayer with their families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace Mazza Urbanski serves as principal of Christ King Parish School in Milwaukee, WI. She has taught in the English departments at Marquette University and Brookfield Academy and developed a national children's ministry with the Apostleship of Prayer, a work of the Society of Jesus. She is delighted that her role as principal of a Catholic elementary school allows her to combine two great passions: academic discovery and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Grace and her husband David have five children who helped inspire her book Pray with Me: Seven Simple Ways to Pray with Your Children (Ave Maria Press, 2015).

 

Life Transitions Hosted by Carla Schommer

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”  - Proverbs 3:5-6 Making a change in life isn’t always easy, nor is it something you may be seeking. Whether you’re leaving your job, making a significant change in any area of your life, or encountering the transitions of life we as women encounter with our bodies, our families, and our faith, it can be daunting to face the unknown. Through my own personal journey, I’ve come to understand that any transition we make, planned or not, is an opportunity for a deeper connection with God.  He can and does use every experience to bring about good in our lives, and his greatest desire is for relationships with us.  He knows our hearts better than we do, and we can be assured that He will provide wisdom when we need it most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carla’s personal journey is rich with transitions, some joyful, some difficult, some incredibly painful, and somewhere she felt abandoned and alone.  Married 35 years, mother of 2, and a new she is a survivor of an abusive marriage and rebuilding her life as a single parent in my 20s. She has experienced miscarriage of her own and walked with her daughter through hers.  She was the primary caregiver for her parents through their aging and end-of-life journeys that included Alzheimer’s, heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. Through it all, God used every one of these experiences in ways she never imagined.  Three college degrees, and three significant career changes in senior leadership positions, she is currently a Catholic Board-Certified Chaplain with a focus in critical care, elder-care, end-of-life and hospice, and work with the Felician Sisters of North America as a Vice-President of Mission. She has been involved in Eucharistic Ministry, Parish Council, and RCIA ministry and has served as a Teen Mentor and Career Advisor for Adults in Transition.