TENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE
7:00am – 12:00pm – Breakfast at St. John’s guesthouse and daily education sessions
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch included
1:00pm – 4:00pm – Breathtaking adventures and creative arts
4:00pm – 6:00pm – Personal reflection or relaxation time
6:00pm – Group dinner included
7:30pm – Social hour, meaningful connection time
Our time spent cultivating reflection, creativity, and curiosity is done through quiet contemplation, lectures, nature hikes, journaling, and daily group reflections. We use our experiences as daily metaphors to develop gratitude, hope, awe, and joy.
DAILY ITINERARY
Day 1 (Thurs) – Arrive in St. Joseph, Minnesota
You can arrive on the St. John’s campus anytime after 12pm. Dinner is included and will be at 5pm. We will formally start our retreat at 6pm at the Charter House. St. Joseph has both small-town warmth with big-city cool! It is home to two prominent Benedictine colleges, St. Catherine’s and St. John’s University. Benedictines believe in a commitment to personal growth that positively transforms life. They strive to model continual self-improvement, seeking the truth so that each day will have a joyful beginning again and again. Regardless of your spiritual background, this retreat is for you, as it provides the space and environment to dive into these principles in a way that reflects your values.
Day 2 – St. Joseph, Minnesota
Following our breakfast together, we meet for our initial retreat educational sessions that are interactive, deep, and meaningful. We will dive deep to reveal and destroy the obstacles that have undermined your potential. The afternoon will include creative arts that will begin as a simple creative activity to suddenly surprise and awaken you to your life’s roadmap. It will help you reveal obstacles and provide the needed clearing for daily practices that leave you fulfilled, nurtured, and satisfied. Finally, the evening affords time to consider having an optional massage or reiki session.
Day 3 – St. Joseph, Minnesota
In the early morning, we will have the opportunity to snowshoe across the lake and host our morning reflection at the small country chapel. Take time to move at your pace and enjoy solitude, or connect with one of your new friends. The awe and appreciation of this serene acreage will draw you in as we transition from dark to light and create space for the new tools shared with you this day. After a hearty lunch, you will have the opportunity to deepen your connection with nature through a guided nature therapy walk. As we create change in our life, Nature has a way of reminding us to pause and be still. It serves us as a reminder of our own effortlessness when we are truly ourselves and not striving to be someone else. Finally, the evening affords time to consider having an optional massage or reiki session.
Day 4 – Breakfast and morning education session.
We will finish our retreat by 11:00am. Some travelers may choose to fly home later in the day, while others may want to rent a car and spend more time checking out other parts of Minnesota.
Please Note: This itinerary may change slightly due to accommodation availability, weather, festivals and spontaneous side trips. This is not a competition. Please be respectful of all the different paces and walks of life that come together on this retreat.
