We are all so happy with the BLESSINGS and GRACES flowing at our FIRST-EVER Women’s Retreat last weekend!
We don’t have all the pictures in yet but will be adding them here as our friends upload them to google drive
Thank you!
Here’s what our friends had to say about the Pray Hope Love Retreat!
Thanks to all the women who made such a loving and wonderful experience. For me, it was an experience that I never had before. I did go to retreats, but this was so different. Would like to have all the names of my extended family, so I could put them in my journal, and pray for all of you. I know for a fact that Our Lord Jesus Christ was with us that weekend. I even think he was eating, dancing, and exercising with us, especially when we were celebrating him. God Bless. Naomi
Thank YOU G7 team. Great Venue. Fun snacks wine activities and games. And a sincere thank you to all the wonderful empowering women who shared, loved and listened. I learned so much. I will keep all of you in my prayers. Hugs, Coreen
How do I begin to thank the Women’s Ministry committee for all the hard work and planning to make such a spectacular day on Saturday? Thank you for opening it to attend the one day. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The videos and reflections were inspirational. The fellowship and fun are exceptional, one happy family blessed by our Lord and by Father Tad. The breakfast and lunch were scrumptious, and we didn’t even have to think about shopping, preparing, etc. What a treat!
I can’t believe I went snowshoeing, and such a beautiful place to enjoy God’s creation. Wow. The facility was perfect, Michelle and Sean were so patient and kind. Getting ready for snowshoeing made me think of trying to get little kids dressed to go out to play in the snow. Although I didn’t notice anyone forgot to go to the bathroom after they got dressed and ready!
I know it can be difficult with the time restrictions, but I do enjoy also the small group sharing, as I feel it gives those who may be hesitant to share in a large group, the opportunity to share their experiences of faith. It was also great to meet people I hadn’t met before. I came home on a High, and it was just the tonic I needed at this time. Thank you all, May God bless you for your efforts, faith and love. Patricia
I’ve shared this with a few of the lovely ladies I had the privilege to meet on Saturday… but the retreat was no doubt an absolute miracle for me! Each one of you is an answered prayer. It was so unbelievably clear to me that day. Don’t think I’ve ever been so sure about anything in my life!
I had a major reversion during the pandemic and unfortunately little to no close practicing Catholic friends. I learned about the faith on my own (well, with the Holy Spirit of course!) during that time, realized the faith is THE TRUTH, learned more and more about the richness and beauty of it, and had no one to share it with. My husband would try and listen to me blab on and on but pretty sure I’m just an annoying broken record at this point 😂😂
I’ve been praying for a couple of years now for the Lord to give me a friend or mentor or community that I could lean on as I journey… whatever He wills. Because as I’m sure you all know it is a VERY challenging road and so lonely. I attended the Easter event last year but everyone was masked so I couldn’t even recognize anyone! Then i tried to attend the activities during Christmas and my whole family got sick. We have 3 young kids so it’s been too busy to really make it out to anything. I kept trusting in God that the time would come when it was right for me to finally connect with someone somewhere. Or maybe I wasn’t meant to connect right now or in the way, I expected (as was mentioned during the retreat). But then I saw the ad for this retreat and I instantly knew this was it!
Needless to say, I have never felt more AT HOME in my entire life. I have best friends I’ve known my whole life who I’ve never cried with and I cried with the women at my table on Saturday… only having known them for a few hours. I was astounded by the genuine nature, true beauty, openness, kindness, and love I felt on Saturday. Not once did I feel unwelcome or uncomfortable! I felt completely safe and like I truly belonged. I could feel that these ladies honestly wanted to know me and my heart with no judgment or ill intention.
I still can’t believe it now. Truly a miracle. Thank you!!!!
Every part was perfect. The company, the activities, the weather, the facility, the food, the leaders (both of the nature centre and of the women’s ministry). I’m so excited to see all of you again and can’t wait to connect again. Hopefully this Sunday I’ll see some familiar faces!
Sorry for such a long email but it really doesn’t even begin to capture what an incredible day it was. I could probably write a novel! Praise God! I am so grateful for the retreat… truly a turning point in my life!
God bless all of you because this is proof that He is absolutely working through you all. Thank you for allowing Him to and letting the Holy Spirit create miracles like this!
Andrea
Hello ladies, I’m sending a note on behalf of my mother-in-law Silvia.
I have to preface by saying that she was very hesitant to go and we had to pretty well force her out of the house, knowing that it was going to be so good for her. She doesn’t like going out in the cold at all and was worried about language barriers, etc.
Well, she called us on Sunday morning before coming home and was beaming with joy. It’s probably the most exciting I’ve heard of her over the phone. Lol! She had such a great time and her spirits were completely lifted. She enjoyed the meals, the prayers, the mass, and the activities and particularly had fun playing bingo. She even tried snowshoeing and liked it which was very unexpected. Thank you so much to all of you for making her feel welcomed. Especially to my mom, Ann, for accompanying her. God bless, Melanie
Summing up my week-end experience…simply amazing!!! The retreat was well thought out, planned and executed, and well balanced in all respects:
1) Religious retreat – videos, games, reflections, journaling and mass given by Father Tad
2) Fun – social games, indoor dancing lessons and outdoor activities
3) Building and sharing our Catholic faith amongst our community of ‘lovely’ women!!!
All of this topped by great food and fresh air. The facility at Claremont was a perfect venue for the week-end. Thank you to the organizers from the women’s ministry, for all the hard work that went into the retreat. I totally enjoyed the religious card game that Collette and Monica brought out on Saturday evening, and the Italian poker done by Anenetta the Italian shark!!!. Also, thanks to all the new friends I was so lucky to meet. Blessings, Ann
Wow, what an amazing women’s retreat! It was so wonderful getting to know everyone in such a relaxed environment. I loved the reflections, prayer journal, dancing and outdoor activities but most of all building friendships with ladies sharing the same faith as me. The venue, food and staff were awesome – a true home away from home. Thank you Father Tad for coming out all the way to celebrate mass for us and to the organizers – you all did an absolutely fantastic job!
Looking forward to seeing all of you in church or at the next meeting. If you ever want to meet up for a coffee reach out anytime 🙂 Lisa
I had a truly wonderful weekend. I was worried at first since I didn’t know many of you beforehand. I worried that I won’t fit in. I worried that I would miss home and my boys (including my husband). But in the end I was wrong (they were not in my head the whole time, not even a single minute, except when some of you asked) I felt so welcome the first minute I walked into the facility. The moment I was greeted and led to my room by the lively and positive voice of Antonietta. You all have made me feel that I have known you for so long.
I love the food, I love the snacks, and I love all the arrangements that the ladies have put together. I enjoyed the snowshoeing so much that I know I will do it again and again. I very much appreciated the kindness and helpfulness that Michelle and Sean have provided us. I would definitely love to be invited back to the next retreat. Meditation and praise and worship in songs and music might also be very fun too. I know with the enthusiasm that we have, we can for sure push our spirit to the next level. Again, thank you all for making the past few days so much fun and memorable. I will see you at the meeting soon. Love always. Kitty
I really enjoyed the weekend with the St. Mark’s Women. It was a wonderful way to spend quality time with everyone. I especially enjoyed show-shoeing and journal reflection time. It reminded me how similar, yet how different we all are and feel. There is no right or wrong answer. I felt very comfortable sharing my thoughts. We had the option of staying inside or participating in outdoor activities. No activity was mandatory. We could be as active or as quiet and peaceful as we wanted. It was our choice.
I was pleasantly surprised at the Claremont Nature Centre. I envisioned it being a little run down, but it was clean and the staff was wonderful. The food was good. They had options for everyone. I also enjoyed the campfire. What a great way to end our last evening. I would have liked to see the movie, but it was really great that they took a vote. And oh how I enjoyed Antonietta’s line dancing and fitness class. I want to express to all in the Women’s Ministry how very much I appreciated the well-organized retreat. You all did such a wonderful job. I made new friends and re-connected with previous friends I got to know over the last few years at St. Mark’s. I had such a great time and my memories of the retreat will be long lasting. Thank you all, Rita
Thank you for the best weekend ever! The activities I enjoyed the most were: Line dancing, Reflections/discussions, Abbotti class, Snowshoeing, Journaling, Campfire and the Community Meals. The location was great. It was not too far from home and easy to drive to. Accommodations were good, the temperature was cozy, and activities enjoyable. The amenities offered everything we needed for a comfortable stay. Food was yummy. Good selection over the few days. Lots of great choices in beverages and snacks. Loved the wine, cheese and charcuterie meats. I definitely indulged in the sweet table filled with assorted delights of candy chips and brownies. Everything was perfect. The weekend offered a wide variety of activities that suited all ages indoors and outdoors. Our sharing conversations were some of my favourite moments. I loved Fr. Mike Schmitz. His reflection videos were thought-provoking. This was the first time I watched them. Perhaps next time, we could do a cooking class? Karaoke? Singing as individuals or teams? Overall, I loved the weekend! I came home grateful for new friends, deeper faith and connections to God and nature. Thank you to all you special ladies at the Women’s ministry for giving each of us a memory that will last a lifetime! Tina
Thank you so much to you and the rest of the ministry for putting together such an inspiring and welcome retreat! Thank you again. It was a very informative and fun experience! Kim
