Divine Mercy
HEALING RETREAT
Theme
Our Divine Mercy Retreat team follows the spirit and methodology of John Paul II Healing Center, and the content of this retreat is based on the book, Be Healed, by Dr Bob Schuchts, which consists of three parts: Encountering Jesus, Facing Our Brokenness, and Healing Our Wounds.
Encountering Jesus
As we set out to ask God for healing, we first engage mind and heart, asking the aid of the Holy Spirit, to become aware of what needs healing in our lives. Then, in an atmosphere of prayer, we encounter Jesus – like so many in the Gospel – and courageously ask him for healing. We may be afraid to expose our deepest desires to the Lord because perhaps we feel like our petitions have gone unacknowledged so many times before, but it is in the encounter with the love and mercy of Jesus that we find the courage to seek healing once again.
Facing Our Brokenness
We begin this part with an introduction to healing the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – which shows how this approach is rooted in scripture and the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church, how it integrates psychology and spirituality, and how it compares and contrasts with contemporary therapeutic models. Then we work our way down the tree of our lives in three parts: the fruits, the trunk, and the roots. “By their fruits you will know them” (Mt 7:16). By looking at the fruits of gratitude and love verses the fruits of fear and anger in our lives, we become aware of something deeper in our hearts. Although the bad fruits can initially seem disparate and unrelated, when we look further down at the trunk, we discover a common source in one of the seven deadly sins. And finally, under the surface in the root system, we discover what Dr Bob Schuchts calls the seven deadly wounds, which are feeding our vices and bad fruits. Again, in a spirit of faith and trust we surrender all our brokenness to Jesus.
Healing Our Wounds
Jesus comes and visits us in our woundedness. This is healing. His simple presence transforms our darkness into light, the lies we believe about ourselves into truth, and the coldness of our isolation into the warmth of his love. Each retreatant has the opportunity to experience this concretely in the personally guided inner healing prayer. Through it, Jesus reconciles our brokenness in himself, and our entire existence is reinterpreted from the perspective of God’s love. Set free from lies, resentment, and self-reliance, we can now live in freedom to love God and neighbor.
Divine Mercy Healing Team
We are blessed with a whole team to direct this retreat. The team is composed of priests and lay, some therapists and all gifted in the Spirit. The best thing about the team is that each member is walking the life-long journey of healing – each can share his or her brokenness and the marvels that God, in his mercy, is doing. You can expect to see eight members on a given weekend retreat.
The Divine Mercy Healing Team was formed on the Feast of the Sacred Heart in 2018. The team continues to expand to meet the growing demands. Members have been getting on-going formation through annual training seminars, and bi-monthly formation meetings and triad prayer practices. Beyond this, many members have also attended I AM Training with the JPII Healing Center, the Encounter School of Ministry, and other training programs. Everything shared with team members is kept in strictest confidentiality.
Click here to meet the Divine Mercy Healing Team
Dynamics
This is not a silent retreat. The interaction both with team members and retreatants has proven to be a powerful way for the Holy Spirit to work through the community of believers. There are dedicated times of silence for prayer and reflection.
The above themes unfold one day at a time: Encountering Jesus on Friday, Facing Our Brokenness on Saturday, and Healing Our Wounds on Sunday. The themes are exposed through a total of seven dynamic talks illustrated by personal testimonies, followed by an exercise for personal application.
We offer the Celebration of the Eucharist each day of the retreat, as well as an opportunity for confession. We offer adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, during which time team members are available for prayer. On Sunday we offer the inner healing prayer for each retreatant. Throughout the retreat during breaks you are welcome to consult team members for support.
Practical Expectations
Meals:
Healthy and balanced meals will be provided from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch. Coffee, tea, fruit and snacks will be available throughout the retreat.
Schedule:
Arrival on Friday is at 3:00 pm, and we will begin with the Celebration of the Eucharist at 3:30. An introductory talk begins at 4:30 pm and then we go straight into the first exercise at 5:00 pm, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. After dinner we continue with another exercise and adoration. On Sunday, the retreat concludes with the Celebration of the Eucharist at 4:00 pm and departure at 5:00 pm.
What to bring:
You will have a private bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. Linens, towels, hair dryers, as well as basic toiletries such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, and moisturizer are provided. You will want to bring other personal toiletries and medications, comfortable clothes, and footwear for walking if you desire. Notebooks and pens will be provided; bring your bible and rosary. Additional reading material is not necessary as there will be plenty of content given in the talks and meditations.
For more information on facilities and meals, see our facilities page.