John Hannah
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Unleash the Power of the Truth

How It Works

Attending a retreat provides the quiet and focus to seek and better know God on a personal level. It is a time of prayer and meditation, a time of gratitude and thanksgiving, a time of reflection and discernment. In short, a retreat provides the pilgrim an environment to focus and become aware of God’s presence. It is a time of renewal and refreshment in our faith and a time to learn spiritual disciplines that enable us to walk closer to our Maker in our day-to-day lives.

How our retreats are accomplished depends on whether it a group seeking answers to a particular issue or whether it is an individual wanting to fellowship with the Creator. Regardless of the reason for participating in a retreat, we need to get to know each person individually. Each of us, as believers, has a special way of attending to God that leads us to a closer communion with Him. We need to know what those ways are. Our approach uses the Enneagram, an ancient form of behavioral identification. The Enneagram proposes that each of us has adopted a behavioral style that has proven successful in acquiring what we deemed missing in our life. The problem is that the tighter we hold on to that behavioral style the more it works against us. This “impostor”’ as Brendan Manning so aptly named it, prevents us from enjoying the fullness of whom God has created us to be and in reality acts as an idol to destroy our relationship with God and humans. Therefore, we want to identify what you perceive as missing in life so that together, we can see in the Scriptures how God provides that which we think is missing. We also learn that He loves us regardless because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Once we experience God’s love for us, we can then love ourselves and find fulfillment in Christ. Then, and only then, we can truly love others because Christ first loved us. In other words, we do not look to others to give us our needs; we look to God. He becomes our desire on earth.

The second step in preparing for the journey is to determine the destination. What it is you want from the retreat? We have a form that we will send to help you determine your quest. Upon receiving the completed document, we will call you to make sure we have a complete understanding and have the necessary insights to prepare for your retreat.

Before shifting into the specifics of your pilgrimage, we need to explore, review and look at the basics. Things like prayer, Scripture reading, and other disciplines that are the fundamentals necessary for all believers. This sounds simple, and it is but there are various ways to pray or read scripture. For instance, we could pray using methods of contemplation or meditation. These prayers might be silent or vocal. They could also be private or communal prayer. We also need to think about prayers of adoration,petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise.

Once you arrive, you will meet with the Spiritual Director to review your itinerary for the stay. Each day you will be asked to attend The Reading, Morning Prayer, Midday prayer, Evening Prayer and Night prayers. Your stay will include times of solitude where you communicate with God alone. At other times, you will join in groups to participate in Theological Reflection. The one common theme throughout the stay is a sincere hope that God’s presence will always be with us throughout the retreat.

Fees for retreats will vary based on location and amenities. Therefore costs will be a part of our discussion.

Spiritual Direction for Individuals

Spiritual Direction for individuals is consistent with the processes used in preparing for retreats. The primary difference is the location, timing and responsibilities. The disciple will be more responsible for finding time and place to practice the disciplines. The pilgrim should also expect to maintain a journal. The seeker usually meets with the spiritual director on a weekly basis to review the journey. At this time, they will reflect on the experiences of the pilgrim since their last visit. The Cost for individual spiritual direction is an hourly fee that is equal to what the disciple makes per hour.

“His leadership, motivation, and desire to academically achieve separated him from his fellow students. John's thoughts on these topics would be beneficial to those who desire to attain success in their future endeavors.”

Paul A. Squarcia - Vice-President and Dean (retired) / Endicott College