Directed Retreat Practicum
We extend an invitation to all “Atchison” Graduates
of the PrairieFire Practicum!
Directed Retreat Practicum
June 15 – 19, 2025
Creighton University Retreat Center
In 2020, the third-year practicum for Spiritual Direction associated with PrairieFire and the Mind & Spirit Counseling Center migrated from the program in Atchison, Kansas with the sisters of the Sophia Center, Mount St. Scholastica. As part of that adjustment to the program, we have included a 5-Day Directed Retreat Practicum at the Creighton Retreat Center near Griswold, Iowa. We are now offering an option for all earlier graduates of the program to share in this experience. This serves as a great consummation for the practicum experience and adds the experience of directing a 2-Day silent retreat to the “Spiritual Direction Tool Box.”
The retreat will kick off on the afternoon of Sunday, June 15 with a PrairieFire Reunion, providing a chance for everyone to reconnect with former classmates and members from other cohorts. The retreat will continue through Thursday, June 19 at 4 p.m. During the retreat, each participant will experience a 2-Day silent retreat, guided by a peer, and then switch roles to direct someone else’s 2-Day silent retreat. (Retreat A runs from Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon, and Retreat B from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon.) You’ll direct a different person than the one who guided you.
Staff will provide a didactic Sunday evening to explore the unique experience of Spiritual Direction on retreat. In addition, we will lead Peer Supervision during both retreat sessions for those directing retreatants (2 sessions, 1 for each day of the retreat). Tuesday evening will provide some time for worship and fellowship before moving into silence again.
This experience has proven to be very powerful and fulfilling for all involved, so we wanted to extend the invitation to previous cohorts, with the added benefit of gathering for some great reunion/retreat time.
The 5-Day Directed Retreat Practicum costs $650. However, if you register by March 1, 2025, you can take advantage of the early bird rate of $600. Registration includes delicious meals and lodging in private rooms with semi-private bathrooms. Scholarship assistance is available if the cost seems prohibitive. Please reach out to Chris Waddle or Andrea Severson at the Center for more information.
- Chris Waddle, cwaddle@mindspiritcenter.org
- Andrea Severson, aseverson@mindspiritcenter.org
A little about the venue: The CURC sits on more than 200 wooded acres and provides for a very lovely retreat setting.
Retreat space will be limited to 18 participants and the final registration deadline is May 15, 2025.
The retreat is served by practicum staff: Andrea Severson, Paul Witmer and Mary Jo Pfeifer Wulf.