“The Month of Grace + Prayer has provided a deepening experience in forming my faith in a real way! Coming to silence has brought my soul to a place of peace. Staying with silence has allowed me to hear God’s direction for my life. I don’t think I would have experienced clarity to this depth without the encouragement to be on retreat during this month.” Rev. Jackie K. Havis-Shear, Immanuel United Methodist Church, Edwardsville, IL
“As a pastor, I am always searching for ways for our community to step deeper into relationship with Jesus Christ. The Week/Month of Guided Prayer is an excellent way to do just that.” Rev. Kimberly Jenne, Webster Hills United Methodist Church
“Until we hosted a Month of Guided Prayer, we had no idea of the spiritual hunger of our local faith community. The Month of Guided Prayer provided the spark to let us respond to the Holy Spirit. We continue to give thanks for the opportunity of spiritual growth that the MGP has provided our faith community.” Michael Durbin, Spiritual Direction Ministry, St. Paul Parish, Highland, IL
“While it’s hard to describe how or why, what I know is: My relationship with God deepened during that month. My connection to the Divine was more readily available to me. Part of that happened because of the discipline of praying every single day for 20 minutes, without exception. Part of that happened because of the work my spiritual companion and I did together during the hour we met each week.” Pastor Sally Weaver, St. Francis’ Episcopal Church, Eureka
“It is no secret that young adults, especially college students, find it difficult to carve out time for prayer and reflection in their daily lives. The Week of Guided Prayer provided our students with a chance to carve out that space intentionally and to experience a spiritual guide walking with them throughout the week. It gave our students the gift of pause in their overbooked and over committed lives.” Troy Woytek, Director of Ministry at Catholic Student Center at Washington University
“One of our greatest assets as a parish at St. Catherine Laboure is to accept folks where they are and move them forward. Of course this most definitely includes their faith life. This retreat – the Week of Guided Prayer – was perfect for our parishioners guiding each and every one of them to a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. As a result we have become a stronger community in Christ.” Peggy Brinkmann, Director of Religious Education, St. Catherine Laboure Parish
