Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House celebrates 60 years
By Father Gary Coulter
Father Gary Coulter is celebrating 10 years as director of the diocesan retreat house this year and reported to the Serrans at their 3 rd Friday program on May 19. This past year 2000 people participated in person retreats. When the virtual retreats are added in, there were over 3000 participants!
A typical weekend Retreat is a preached retreat to the entire group by a Retreat Master, while the
remainder of the time, retreatants enters into silence with God. These retreats start on a Friday evening with a rosary and Mass, and end on Sunday with Mass and lunch. Each retreatant includes times for silence, Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession and devotions.
Ignation Retreats based on The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola are known as Directed
Retreats, allow retreatants to meet privately with the retreat director every day. This retreat involves
spending four or five periods each day in meditation on scripture, journaling about the prayer times and movements that occurred and meeting with a director, to be given spiritual guidance and appropriate meditations. These are either a 4 day or an 8 day retreat.
This year for the 60th Anniversary a series of events are being planned. Dedication Day, May 24, 2023
Mass at 8:30 AM at the Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House, 9 AM tea and rolls, with an ice cream
social at 3 PM. On Sunday August 13 th at 7 PM an Outdoor Matt Maher Concert is planned! An Outdoor
Mass with Bishop Conley is planned on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 7:30
PM on August 15, 2023. A Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House Gala Dinner on September 29, 2023
at the Hillcrest Country Club from 5:30 to 9 PM. The featured speakers will be Bishop Conley and Fr
Wade Menezes. Live Nativity, St Nicholas Blessing and Marian Caroling at the Catholic Center will be on
December 9, 2023 from 5 to 7 PM. A Catholic Center Open House will be on May 19, 2024. Visit the Marycrest Motherhouse, Villa Marie Home & School for Exceptional Children and Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House for an Open House from 1 to 4 PM. On June 2, 2024 a Corpus Christi Mass, Eucharistic Procession and Family Carnival Fun/Lunch starting at 10:30 AM.