"Be still and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10
Our
Mission
Bethany Center for Prayer and Renewal assists the faithful to respond to God’s personal call to intimacy through silent, directed retreats.
Providing an opportunity for priests, religious, and laity to encounter God’s love in deeper ways, we offer personal directed retreats rooted in Scripture, prayer, and the sacraments.
Our
Inspiration
The inspiration for Bethany comes from the Gospels where we see Jesus stopping to visit his friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, on his journeys to and from Jerusalem.
Bethany is named after the historical town outside of Jerusalem and was a favorite place of rest and refuge for Jesus. Saints Mary, Martha, and Lazarus hosted Him with joy and welcome at Bethany, providing nourishment and companionship during His active ministry.
Saint Mary
Reflection
Mary is the model for prayer and reflection as she sits and listens at the feet of Jesus.
Saint Martha
Hospitality
Martha is the model for warm hospitality as she welcomes Jesus into her home and tends to his needs.
Saint Lazarus
Resurrection
Lazarus is the model for healing and resurrection as the Lord raises him to new life.
In all of this, Bethany Center for Prayer and Renewal will trust in God’s providence to carry out the mission that,
“being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that [they] may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3: 17-19
What is a Silent-Directed retreat?
Silent-directed retreats are rooted in Scripture, contemplation, and the sacraments.
Modeled after the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, silent directed retreats are a profound way to look deeply at how God is speaking personally to a particular retreatant.
Each day, the retreatant meets with a gifted spiritual director who listens to their prayer experience and assigns them Scripture passages for meditation. Together, the retreatant and spiritual director discern how the Holy Spirit is moving. Because this is a time to examine how God is acting in a particular life, no two silent directed retreats are alike.
Unlike preached retreats or large group retreats, there are no conferences or talks. Apart from spiritual direction sessions, Mass, and confession, the retreat unfolds in silence.
The silent directed retreat, including meditation, spiritual direction, the sacraments, nourishing meals, and time for recreation, is an opportunity of encounter with the living God.