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Homeless Retreat
Program
~photos
by Rob Wexler
Sometimes, we just
have to get away from it all. If that is true of most of us, it is
especially true of homeless people, who often find themselves stuck in the
chaos and paralysis of life in the shelter or on the street. The Homeless
Retreat Program gives them time away in the peaceful setting of Jesuit
Retreat House for a healing program of personal transformation
Homeless
individuals progress through a series of 4 retreats, each of which builds
upon the one before it:
a)
Connection - participants focus on confronting and breaking barriers within
themselves and with others
b)
Trust
- participants build off the Connection retreat by dealing with those
fears that impede trust
c)
Purpose - participants spend this overnight retreat wrestling with issues of
personal mission and calling
d)
Integration - participants examine issues of
competence, patterns within relationship, and tendencies toward
inclusiveness
The Homeless Retreat Program changes lives by healing
wounds, building trust, and inspiring personal change. Consider the
following story of a changed life:
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 Mike
Waters
Giving
& Receiving Hope
Like many at
2100 Lakeside Men's Shelter, Mike became homeless as a result of
addiction and "irresponsible living," as he put it.
He heard about the retreats through word of mouth at the
shelter, so he started going on them.
Soon his involvement grew and he was asked by program
director Duane Drotar to join the implementation team that plans and
directs the retreats. He
now works with the team to discuss strategies, make changes, and
find ways to encourage the spiritual growth of participants.
A
gentle, articulate man, Mike has a gift for inspiring trust.
It is one he honed as a worker's aide at the shelter, and
one he puts to good use on the retreats.
Trust and building one-on-one relationships are key to the
retreats, according to Mike, so he makes effort to connect with the
men and help them change the negative mindset that contributed to
their homelessness. He
knows the retreat process takes time, but he has seen it work in his
life and others. As he put it, "We're making a difference.
It's not just something I theorize about, it's a transformation
that actually happened to me."
Mike continues to follow his mission of "encouraging the
oppressed" both on retreats and at the shelter.
It is because of people like him that the homeless retreat
program changes lives, one person at a time. |
Get
Involved:
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For more information about the
Homeless Retreat Program, contact Duane
Drotar.
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To make a tax-deductible contribution
to the program, please click
here.
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