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St. Francis Retreat

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St. Francis Retreat Inc.501(c)3 Corp., Non-Proftt Status

Federal ID #94-1156592www.stfrancisretreat.com

P.O. BOX 970SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA 95045

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St. FranciS retreat 549 MISSION VINEYARD ROAD • P.O. BOX 970 • SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CALIFORNIA 95045 • (831) 623-4234 DECEMBER 2012

A year of Jubilee: Celebrating 65 Years of Retreat Ministry!

Dear Friends,

Yes, it’s hard to believe that St. Francis Retreat Center is celebrating 65 years of retreat ministry! The property for the new retreat house was officially purchased in 1947 and Father Owen de Silva, OFM was the friar who founded St. Francis Retreat. The friars officially moved into the Ranch House in December and in January/February the first retreat was held. In those days the friars moved out of their bedrooms in the friary and slept on the porch so the guests would have a room to sleep in. Apparently not enough room at the inn but with the building of St. Francis Court then St. Clare’s and St. Anthony wings the friars had their rooms back and the retreat participants their own place to lay their heads. Such was our beginning. Speaking of beginnings we are moving into the Season of Advent (which signals the beginning of the Church Year) and soon we will move into the Season of Christmas. Advent beckons us to reflect upon the Incarnation, where out of God’s extravagant love for us God became flesh and dwelt among us. These seasons of Advent and Christmas call us to reflect upon the question how are we to bear Christ in our world today? As you read our newsletter you will find some activities we have planned to celebrate our Jubilee as well as upcoming retreats in the spring and summer of 2013. We are offering some days of reflection during the Lenten season as well as a retreat for Lent and we continue to offer our First Fridays Days of Recollection. Please note we still have our New Year’s Retreat: Welcoming the New December 30th – January 1st. If you are looking for a more reflective way to start your new year this retreat is for you.

During this season of giving I would like to ask that you would consider making a donation to the Retreat Center to help us retire our loan for our new building. Once our loan is paid off we can look towards using our income for other improvements here at St. Francis. If everyone on our mailing list made a donation of $187.63 ($15.64 per month) we will be able to pay our loan off in the next twelve months. Please know your gift of any amount is most welcomed. When writing a check please put in the Memo For Building Fund. Thank you in advance for any help you can give us and remember we are fully recognized as a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit religious organization for tax purposes. Many thanks for your help with this.

As we prepare to celebrate the Birth of our Lord please be assured of the prayers of the Friars and Staff here at St. Francis that you may experience a blessed Christmas.

Brother Robert Rodrigues, OFM Director St. Francis Retreat

We are looking for a

VO L U N T E E R RECEPTIONISTWe need 1 or 2 volunteers to answer phones and

greet people. Mondays and Tuesdays.

Call Ed 831-623-4234 Ext. *811

Please consider a “Legacy Gift” to St. Francis Retreat in your estate-planning.

St. Francis Retreat is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 religious organization, listed in the Official Catholic Directory. Your generous gift can help to assure the ongoing ser-vice of St. Francis Retreat to the spiritual needs of retreatants in the future. For more information about making a Legacy Gift, call Ed Degroot 831-623-4234.

St. Francis Retreat / Legacy Gifts,P.O. Box 970 / San Juan Bautista, CA 95045

Enjoy our new fountain next to Upper Room.

A year of Jubilee: Celebrating 65 Years of Retreat Ministry!

UPCOMING RETREATS December - july 2013

First Friday Days of Recollection 9:30 am. Arrival & Coffee10:00 am. Conference11:00 am. Mass12 Noon Lunch1:00 pm Conference2:00 pm DepartureSuggested Donation: $25.00

January 4thStanding Before a New YearBrother Robert Rodrigues, OFMAs we stand before a New Year we will spend the day reflecting upon what is the new that the Spirit is offering us in the present moment.

February 1stSt. Francis and the PassionFather Edgar Magna, OFMThis day we will look through a Francis-can lens the Passion of Christ and the im-plications for our own spiritual journey.

March 1st Turn and Turn AgainBrother Robert Rodrigues, OFMAs we continue on our Journey of Lent we will focus on the Lenten themes of Conversion and Change which we hear proclaimed in the Gospels during this season. We will explore together what this means for our own spiritual life.

April 5th

Preparing for the Feast of the Ascension Brother Michael Minton, OFMThe scriptures tells us that immediately after the resurrection of Jesus, his friends and followers were full of fear, confu-

sion, and doubt all quite different than what we expect. In this day of prayer & reflection we will examine some of those stories and the implications for us as we move towards celebrating Ascension and Pentecost and ultimately moving into the complete embrace of resurrection joy.

May 3rd

There’s something about Mary…Brother Ryan Thornton, OFMBut what is it exactly? For centuries Mary has been part of Christian life, but this has meant different things to differ-ent people. On the first Friday of May, a month traditionally devoted to Mary, we will spend a day of prayer focusing on how Mary is shown in the Gospels and how she has been seen by the Francis-can spiritual tradition. “Reflecting on all these things in (our) hearts (Luke 2:19), we will spend time with the Scriptures, and praying a form of the rosary known as the Franciscan Crown.

June 7th

A Sabbath Day of RestBrother Robert Rodrigues, OFMThe days are warmer, the sun goes down lat-er, and the beaches, and mountains beckon us to rest, relax and play. This day will be fo-cusing on Sabbath Rest as a way to lead us into the summer.

Lenten Wednesdays of Recollection 9:30- 2:00 pm First Friday Format Suggested Donation $25.00February 13, 20, 27 & March 6, 13, 20Following the First Friday Format we will be focusing on the scripture readings for the following Sunday during Lent. Father Edgar Magna, OFM will lead these reflections.

RETREATSMarch 29-31 Preparing for EasterBrother Jeff Macnab, OFMAre you without a Parish? Are you taking a break from the church? Are you looking for a place to be accepted? Join us as we rest, ques-tion and look at the Easter Mysteries in a qui-et, mindfulness and supportive environment. Bring a friend, a spouse, partner or yourself to this Easter encounter. Time will be given for individual one on one conversation as well as group discussion. Come and join us to help re-find your Easter Heart.

July 16-20th Awaken the Mystic Within: Sisters RetreatCome. Rest. Open the deep well of your heart to the hidden mysteries of God and life around you. Sister Loretta Schaff, OSF is a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia. She holds a Bach-elor’s Degree in Music, a Master’s in Liturgical Studies, and a Doctor of Ministry. Her experi-ence includes ministry as a musician, liturgist, professor, campus ministry, congregational leadership, spiritual director and retreat facili-tator. She is presently the Spiritual Assistant to the St. Clare Fraternity of the Order of Fran-ciscan Seculars in Portland, Oregon.

July 19-21st Celebrate the HeartBrother Jeff Macnab, OFM“A Married Couples Retreat” A weekend for Married couples to come and share with each other as well as other married couples. Our focus will be the “Hearts Desire”. What is God calling us to in our marriage? A time for quiet reflection, a time for sharing and a time to re-kindle the heart.

NAME _________________________________________________________________ PHONE (_________)____________________________________

ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________ STATE _________________ ZIP ___________________________

ROOM PREFERENCE: ( ) SINGLE ( ) DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ROOMATE’S NAME _________________________________________________

NAME OF RETREAT ______________________________________________________ DATE OF RETREAT _____________________________________

SPECIAL NEEDS _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

( ) VISA ( ) MASTERCARD CREDIT CARD NUMBER _____________________________________________ EXP DATE _______________

TO MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR A RETREAT, SEND THIS FORM AND $25 DEPOSIT (PER PERSON) TO:

ST. FRANCIS RETREAT / P.O. BOX 970 / SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA. 95045

(831) 623-4234 / FAX: (831) 623-9046 / WWW.STFRANCISRETREAT.COM / E-MAIL: INFO@STFRANCISRETREAT.COM

RESERVATION FORM

$210.00 person (Single Occupancy)$170.00 per person (Double)

unless otherwise noted.(Limited scholarships are available.)

Call us for information on Private Retreats and Facilities Rentals: (831) 623-4234

VAQUERO HERITAGE BENEFIT- RECAP

Dedication

Ribbon Cutting

On August 24 - 26 a gathering of 30 artisans includ-ing saddle makers, silversmiths, vintage gear & silver, bits, spurs, hair ropes, rawhide braiders, booksellers, fine art paintings & bronzes all related to California’s traditional vaquero heritage gathered at St. Francis Retreat to celebrate Vaquero culture and heritage. Along with the artisans we had Vaquero-style horsemen demos, musical guests Dave Stamey and Adrain as well as Poet Jessica Hedges. We were also honored with the presence of featured guest Artist Wil-liam Matthews. A good time was had by all who attended.

Over 26 volunteers dedicated their time to the event in-cluding San Juan Service Club and Boy Scout members. Over 25 local shops and business contributed prizes to sup-port the events “Visit Downtown” raffle, and the “wine bar” showcased 10 premier San Benito County wineries. Over 30 invitation only vaquero-style artisans traveled from 6 states to participate. Local hotel, motel RV park, restau-rants and shops welcomed over 1300 visitors from 13 states and 3 countries to historic San Juan Bautista for this event.

Our thanks to Jane Merrill for all the hard work she did to bring this event to life. We are most grateful, for her volunteers who made our life easy, for the artists who added beauty to our grounds, for Dave Stamey& Adrian who shared their gift of song, for Jessica Hedges who sang images through her poetry, for the riders who shared their skills. For Ed DeGroot and my own staff who worked hard to prepare the Retreat Center for everyone’s arrival.

Mark your calendars now for Vaquero Heritage Days 2014! It will be held here once again at the Retreat Center August 22 – 24th. We look forward to seeing you. Retreat rates below, unless otherwise

noted. Commuter rates are available for some events, call (831) 623-4234.

On behalf of the staff atSaint Francis Retreat,

we wish you ablessed and safeHoliday Season.

Consider joining us at a Retreat or Visit our

facilities because youare ALWAYS welcome.

St. Francis RetreatNew Year’s WISH LIST

For Retreat Bedrooms:p Replace Shower Heads

Need 25 @ $17.33 each

p New Bedroom Pillows Need 50 @ $15.99 each

p Shower Safety Grab-BarsNeed 58 @ $16.98 each

For Chapel:p Replacement ChairsNeed 85 @ $75.00 each

Looking for that unique and creative Christmas gift?Think about a Gift Certificate for a Retreat or an item from our gift shop. Have you seen our sweatshirts?

Contact Brother James Swan, OFM at 831-623-4234 or jdswan@stfrancisretreat.com

There are copies of the Limited Edition Block Print

poster available atSt. Francis Retreat and at

Southwest Roundupin San Juan Bautista.