Key note - retreats - training

Saint Paul says that we are Temples. Explore the history of the Jewish temple.  What was it's purpose? What did it mean to Jesus? Why does that matter for us as followers of Christ?  Will that understanding change how you relate to God? 

This topic is for any organization that consists of more than one member.  Isn't that all of us?  Explore the theology and imagery of marriage throughout Sacred Scripture and Church teaching.  You will be surprised at what this will mean for your community, whether it is a parish staff, parish council, religious house, Knights council, men's or women's group or fraternity and any faith based community.  ( You may even be inspired to take this into your workplace )

Based on the thought of St. Bonaventure, explore the nature of humility and how you can begin to cultivate this virtue.   God raises up the humble and casts down the proud.  But what does it really mean to be humble?  It does not mean to be weak or to be trod upon.  

Saint Francis is much more than a lover of animals and creation.  His personal journey of conversion inspired a "rebuilding" of the Church.  The life of Francis is one of personal struggle, conversion, re-conversion, a life long pilgrimage to conform himself to Christ as perfectly as he was able.  There is a Francis in all of us...let's discover how we might follow Jesus more closely in the footsteps of one of the Church's most beloved saints.

An introduction to the social teachings of the Church.  What do the Gospels teach?  What does the Church teach?  What are our obligations as baptized Christians? Putting Gospel values into action is challenging and can be counter cultural.  This presentation will challenge you to further investigate the Church's call to action and help you to explore where you may bring your talents and gifts to help bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth.

From the beginning of the Mass to the end we are immersed in God's loving mercy.  This talk and reflection on the Mass will give you new insights and a desire to deepen your participation in the greatest gift from Jesus to his Church.

How does the fact that God became incarnate, uniting divinity with human flesh and blood inform your prayer?  What does it mean for your walk with Christ?  What does it mean for your walk in the daily circumstances of life?  St. Francis of Assisi was deeply moved by the incarnation and through the incarnation saw all of creation as brother and sister.  Explore the wonder and implications of the incarnation in your life.

The Church has always had an "outward" mission.  Vatican II has called the laity to reclaim their active role in being the visible face of the Church.  What does that mean for you and your walk of faith?  Our culture today would encourage us to practice our faith but only if we confine our faith within the walls of our church buildings.  There is a saying attributed to St. Francis, "Preach always and if necessary, use words."  What does this really mean?  Are we in a time where it is necessary to use words?

Over the years David has presented many topics not listed here. If you have a theme or topic you would like to explore with your group contact David and discuss your objective and how a teaching can be customized for you.

For all professed and those to be professed.  This day of reflection focuses on the theology and nature of profession.  Explore Sacred Scripture, Church Documents, Ritual and Liturgical elements and what it means for your vocation and your life post profession.  Developed for Secular Franciscans, the foundations can be applied to any order in the Church.

God calls each person.  Being called is not exclusive to those in religious life.  There are as many different ways of being called as there are people.  We will explore several stories from Scripture that demonstrate a variety of ways God calls.  Group discussion, sharing and time for personal reflection will help you to begin or deepen your response to God's call to you.

A Scripture based day of reflection using Old and New Testament accounts of the suffering servant.  Visual images from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land help to center the retreatant in time and place.  Opportunities for quiet reflection.  The reflections lend themselves to an attitude of repentance and renewed conversion.  If possible, having a priest available for the sacrament of reconciliation is a powerful means to deepen the retreat experience.

The Holy Spirit gave us words to use in any life circumstance, even words to use when we wish to complain to God.  In the Psalms we find praise, salvation history, theology, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and a means to satisfy our soul's longing for God.  We also explore New Testament canticles that fit the genera of a Psalm.  Time to reflect, pray and share will give the retreatant a foundation for developing a daily habit of praying with the Psalms.

What is contemplative prayer?  What is the difference between eastern meditation and Christian meditation?  Can anyone be a contemplative? Practical guides to building a contemplative prayer life.  Drawing on the rich tradition of prayer in the Church this retreat experience will give the participants a base of understanding, contemplative experience and a roadmap for a deepening prayer life.

Over the years David has presented many topics not listed here. If you have a theme for a retreat you would like to develop, contact David and discuss how a retreat experience can be developed and customized for you.