6-Day Intensive Silent Retreat

Journey Into Deeper Silence

Facilitators:
Jody Reis Johnson and Mary Lapham

Starts Friday April 14th at 5:00 p.m.
Ends Wednesday April 19th at 1:00 p.m.

ARC Retreat Community
Stanchfield, MN [map]

Fees:
Single Room: $750 per person
50% required at time of initial registration
The retreat is full. If you are interested in attending, please add your name to the waiting list. In the event someone needs to release their room, we'll contact people in the order they signed up.
Minnesota Contemplative Outreach Invites you to join us for this 6-day/5-Night intensive silent retreat.

Our retreat will take place at the ARC Retreat Community, whose mission for 50 years has been to "provide time apart for rest and spiritual renewal." To ensure quiet and solitude, we have reserved The Lodge for our exclusive use. In addition to an attentive and experienced staff, we will be upheld in our journey of silence by the restful quiet and sacred beauty of ARC, which is located "on 90 acres of pristine wetlands and woodlands within a majestic white pine forest."

Our first gathering is Friday evening dinner at 5:30 p.m., but guests are welcome to arrive from 2:00 p.m. onward to get settled, walk the trails, etc. We depart after lunch on Wednesday.

Experienced facilitators Mary Lapham and Jody Reis Johnson will sustain your experience with a regular schedule of community centering prayer, and sacred listening/soul friending sessions. This Post-Intensive Retreat will consist of continuous periods of Centering Prayer throughout the day with breaks for communal meals in silence. Short pauses for entering and leaving the prayer circle will be offered every 30 minutes. Attendees may participate in as many sessions as they feel called to.

The organizers strongly recommend that participants have an established centering prayer practice, and request that all plan to be present for the duration of the retreat.
Questions? Please send an email to Jody & Mary:
mncontemplativeoutreach@gmail.com
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Important details to consider before you register:
  • The ARC’s current COVID policy asks that retreatants take a rapid COVID test before arrival or upon arrival. This is an honor system; no proof of vaccination or test results will be required.
  • There are 3 double rooms available. You’ll have an opportunity to indicate on the website whether you want a single or double room and who the roommate would be. We are unable to assign you a roommate, but will facilitate pairing as best we can.
  • Retreat leaders will conduct brief conversations with each participant, at the start and end of the retreat, around their personal intentions for the retreat.
  • Spiritual direction, massage, and energy work are available through ARC at an additional cost and can be arranged directly through the retreat center.
  • You may cancel up until March 14th and receive a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee. No refunds guaranteed after March 14th, though if you must cancel, we will look to fill your spot from the waiting list.
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The Lodge
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Jody Reis Johnson, M.Div., MSW, is a retired mental health professional and a longtime practitioner of Centering Prayer. She received her commissioning as a Presenter/Facilitator through Contemplative Outreach in 2013 and serves on the Volunteer Board of MNCO. In addition to leading retreats, Jody is a writer, a spiritual director, and a busy grandmother of six.
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Mary Lapham, M. Ed., is a commissioned presenter for both Centering and Welcoming Prayer. She has served the MNCO Board since 2016, is currently on the CO Welcoming Prayer Service team, and the 12-Step Spirituality Team. Mary leads a weekly Welcoming/Centering hour in the Meditation Chapel.