Made for Greatness Men’s Retreats
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Personal Prayer: The Way of Receiving the Father's Love
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Retreat Details
Who: All men 18 or older When: July 18-20, 2025 Registration/Check-in: 4:00pm - 5:00pm Location: Maryvale Retreat Center, Valley City, ND Cost: $225-$325 Register Schedule (Coming soon)
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Why a Men’s Retreat
First of all, because we need it. As men we are naturally inclined toward doing, toward accomplishing, toward making things happen. But if we don't regularly take the time to stop, be quiet, and listen, sooner or later we find that our priorities have become disordered. We discover we are focusing our energies on the wrong things or going about things the wrong way. When this happens, we suffer (and so does everyone arounds us).
St. Ignatius of Loyola observed that the key to responding rightly to the challenges we face is to be attentive to our the spiritual life - how God is prompting us and what is distracting us from him. Such awareness is indispensable for living our lives well, and one of the most potent means of cultivating this awareness is by going on a retreat. And, what better retreat could there be than one specifically focused on learning how to pray from one who has literally "written the book" on prayer?
Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B. is currently one of the most prominent spiritual formators in the country, and he will be leading us men to an encounter with the love of the Father in a way that we may never have experienced it before. His book Personal Prayer: A Guide to Receiving the Father's Love provides the key to truly flourishing in our prayer lives. If you have ever felt that you just don't really know how to pray or that the Lord God may be calling you deeper in prayer and you are unsure how to follow Him, then this retreat is definitely for you!
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Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B - From atheist to evangelical to Catholic monk
Raised in a home with no faith or religious practice, Father Boniface Hicks first encountered God through the witness of an evangelical man who introduced him to the Scriptures while in college. This proved to be the transformational seedbed of faith that gradually led him to devote his entire life to God and to assisting others in receiving the Father's love more richly in their lives and sharing it generously with those they encounter.
Father Boniface has now been a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey since 1998. As a Catholic priest, he serves as both the Director of Spiritual Formation and Director of the Institute for Ministry Formation at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, PA. He also serves as Program Director for WAOB (We Are One Body) radio station, and has recorded thousands of radio programs on theology and the spiritual life. He has also been a formator with Encounter Ministries, was a featured prayer leader for the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress, is a contributor to ministries such as Word on Fire, The St. Paul Center, Exodus 90 and many others, in addition to being a guest on the popular Pints with Aquinas podcast hosted by Matt Fradd. And, he is also a trained exorcist!
Father Boniface authored the book Through the Heart of St. Joseph, and co-authored, along with Father Thomas Acklin, O.S.B., Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love and Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love. His most recent books are The Fruit of her Womb and The Hidden Power of Silence in the Mass: A Guide for Encountering Christ in the Liturgy. He is a sought-after retreat master and spiritual director, traveling throughout the United States, and as far as Beijing, China, in his work.
Father Boniface will also be leading a 5-Day training on the Art of Accompaniment for those who want to learn how they can assist others in growing in their spiritual lives. This training will take place on July 21-25, 2025, beginning the day after the Made for Greatness Men's Retreat. More information on that 5-day Art of Accompaniment training is available HERE.
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What is the Made for Greatness Men's Retreat?
The Made for Greatness Men's Retreat provides men with the opportunity to take this valuable time to grow closer to God and do so in a fully masculine context. The enduring features of Made for Greatness retreats are their opportunities for spiritual growth through prayer and sacramental encounters such as Mass, adoration, and confession, along with profound spiritual insights, great food, mixed in with good plain manly fun and brotherhood.
We do expect this retreat to fill up quickly, so secure your spot now.
(If the registration is full, you can contact 701-356-7900 to be put on a waiting list for the retreat.)
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