Q and A with Fr. Huemmer

What do you most look forward to as Spiritual Director of the retreat center?   

What I look forward to most as a spiritual director is to see others grow in their relationship with the Lord and His Church; to really come to understand how deeply each person in loved by our Heavenly Father; and to live out of that experience of being loved and extending it to other in daily life.

Some retreat topics I would like to do include Silent Retreats: 3 day, 5 day, and 8 day; Teaching relational prayer using the four habits of prayer; Lectio Divina; Praying with Icons and the Jesus Prayer; Psalms: overview and the Spirituality of the Psalms; Liturgy of the Hours – structure and Spirituality of the Hours; Monastic Experience: Prayer/Work/Study (Lectio); Praying in Nature with Scripture; Advent – O Antiphons – Ancient prayers to help prepare us for the coming of the Lord.
 
What is your favorite part of the completed retreat center? 
 
Without a doubt, it would have to be the main Chapel – that is where we really experience the love in the Lord in powerful ways in His presence in the Eucharist.  There is a something special about the beauty of it.  The colors in the stained glass window are so rich!
 
Which aspect do you think guests will be most excited about?

The experience of silence as well as the atmosphere that the retreat center provides for it; be it in the presence of the Lord in Chapel to walking the spacious and beautiful grounds. 
 
Share with us your vision for the future of St. Joseph retreat center.
 
My prayer for the retreat center is that it is a place where one can “come and rest for awhile” and be nourished by encountering Jesus in the scriptures, prayer, the sacraments, silence, and the beauty of the Lord surrounding them.   
 
Any other thoughts you'd like to share?
 
The retreat center is a unique opportunity to really come and experience the peace of Jesus by taking time away to really listen to the Lord.  Spending time in the peaceful grounds experiencing the wonders of the God’s creation or making a private retreat in one of the houses of prayer can revive a wary soul.  Stop by for a visit, or schedule a retreat to come away and rest for awhile with the Lord!