Mount Carmel is home to the Canadian National Shrine to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
Mass available Monday- Friday at 11:15am
Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre is pleased to offer a variety of retreats, days of prayer and renewal, and workshops throughout the year. Click on the links below for program information and registration instructions.
Retreats and Workshops
Ongoing Activities
COME AWAY DAY
Call 905 356 4113 for details and dates
SILENT MEDITATION
Mon, Wed at. Fri at 10am
Hosted by: Fr. Thomas Hakala O. Carm.
Meditation will be held in the Niagara room on the 4th floor.
Cost: Free will offering
You are invited to come and experience meditation as a way of bringing peace, harmony and joy to your life. Meditation is a way to assist you live a mindful life, to enhance your day-to-day awareness by living in the present moment.
Being is the capacity of our being: and now, in this moment, we recognize, acknowledge , and submit ourselves. We remind ourselves of this each time we live in the moment. This particular moment this is now making us joyous becomes the continuing moment of every day of every year.
“ New to silent meditation? If you want, plan to arrive 10 minutes before starting time, to receive some simple instruction on the process. It’s really as simple as ‘just sitting there!’ in God’s Presence and listening. “
DAILY MASS - 11:15 AM
Monday thru Friday
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated on weekdays at 11:15 AM in the Canadian National Shrine of St. Therese the Little Flower.
All are Welcome!
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Monthly Sessions
Spiritual direction sessions are available on a monthly basis. Please call Centre at 905-356-4113 for information.
SEPARATED AND DIVORCED MINISTRY
see dates at READ MORE button
A group of separated and divorced Catholics meet every other Monday for prayer, input and sharing. Call the Catholic Centre 905-684-0154 for information. Please note that you do not have to be Catholic to attend. Everyone is welcome!
Directed and Private
Retreats
Call the Centre Office for availability
905 356 4113
Call for rates and availability
A directed retreat for can be an inspirational experience. There is daily opportunity to meet with a spiritual companion who listens as you share your prayer experience. Sometimes we need time away from our busy schedules to relax, pray and reflect. A directed retreat can be arranged for three to seven days.
For those who seek time alone without a spiritual companion, a private retreat may help nurture your inner self. A private retreat can last from one to five days.
Accommodation and meals are provided.
Emotions Anonymous
Now led virtually. Please contact missisc2@hotmail.com for details
LAY CARMELITES
An Ancient Path for Today’s Pilgrim
Lay Carmelites are Roman Catholic men and women who seek to embrace God’s Will in the ordinary circumstances of everyday life.
We are part of an 800-year-old tradition of contemplative prayer, community and ministry.
For more information contact:
Trudy at 905-732-0670
One Day Workshops
Open Hands, Open Heart
Summer Retreat Day
Date: Saturday, July 25th 9:30-3:30
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Led by: Beth Woelk and Sharon Soderholm
Through story, poetry and song, this retreat invites you into the gentle practice of receiving the gifts and holy surprises life offers.
Inspired by the story of St. Kevin—who welcomed a blackbird to nest in his open, praying hands—we will explore what it means to live with radical hospitality and patient expectancy. Together we’ll practice welcoming our full selves with love and compassion, and opening our hands and hearts to all that Divine Love longs to give.
This day will offer space for stillness, personal reflection, sacred conversation with kindred souls and options for creative expression, walking the labyrinth and/or a contemplative walk outdoors.
Come with open hands and an open heart, and discover the quiet grace of a life ready to receive.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Finding God in the Every Day
Date: Sat July 25 (930am-330pm )
Led by: Anna Racine
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Do you feel like you can't find God? What if he is waiting for you right where you are? The most amazing thing happens when we decide to search for God in the everyday. We find Him in the most unexpected places. God is always there, waiting for us to seek Him.
In this Workshop learn how to search for God in the little things, the small moments, the everyday. Be amazed what you will find when you commit to search for God in your everyday life.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Listening to the Wisdom of the Falls
Date: Sat. Aug. 1 9:30am-330pm
Led by: Anna Racine
Cost: $70
Most know Niagara Falls as one of the seven wonders of the world but what if it represents so much more. The Falls is a powerful metaphor for life, representing the balance between life’s chaotic momentum and the need for purposeful pause. Just as the Falls consists of a massive, unstoppable flow of water, life is an unrelenting forward progression. Both share themes of unstoppable momentum, unpredictable turbulence, and the transition from calm to chaos.
Reflect on the image of the waterfall through the stages of our lives: The Flow of the River, (The Journey) The Plunge (Transition and Change) and the Basin (Retreat and Renewal).
Spend the day exploring the profound observations between Niagara Falls and the tree of life. An opportunity to step away from the rapids of your own life in a peaceful restorative space.
“Thank you for the path, not because it was easy, but because it was necessary.”
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
A Paradise Within Thee …
Prayer and Meditation through Visual Art
Led by: Patricia Rocco
Date: Sat Aug 8 9:30am- 3:30pm
Cost: $85
$70 (includes lunch) + $15 art supply fee
Art making as prayer and meditation is a means of making visible the Paradise within each of us.
This workshop is purposefully designed for people with little or no experience in the creation of
visual art. Participants will be introduced to Christian and Jewish writers and mystics, from both the past and the modern era, and will respond to their words through the use of printmaking, drawing and painting.
Participants will engage in a materials-based approach which means that the emphasis will be on process rather than product. To support them, they will be provided with the tools and basic
information necessary to apply media, and will have opportunities to practice using them.
Participants will be guided incrementally through the creative process, at first as a group, and then
individually, and will make meaning through the elements of design: line, shape, texture, colour and value. As an essential part of the process, everyone will be invited to reflect on the process either silently or by sharing within small or large groups.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
The Heavens declare the Glory of God; the Skies proclaim the work of His Hands (Psalm 19:1)
Date: Sat Sept 12 9:30am-3:30pm
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Led by : Anita Mascarenhas
In his 2015 Encyclical, Laudato Si (Praise Be to You), Pope Francis describes St. Francis of Assisi as the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, who was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast.
In this Jubilee Year of St. Francis, marking the 800th anniversary of his passing on October 3, 1226, it is timely for us to examine his song of praise “The Canticle of Creatures”, to savor the experience of a theophany, a manifestation of the goodness of God, which St. Francis intensely and majestically proclaims through the words of the Canticle.
In this workshop, we will explore practical ideas that will enable each of us to do our part to contribute to environmental protection and to being good stewards of this great gift of God to us.
Inviting all you nature lovers and those who wish to deepen their relationship with God and Creation, to join us as we explore the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love and how they are essential, in the words of Pope Leo XIV, to addressing the issues of the current environmental crisis.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
The Power of Night:
Drawing to God with
St. Edith Stein
Led by: Patricia Rocco
Date: Sat Oct 17 9:30am-330pm
Cost; $70 (includes lunch) + $25 art supply fee
This workshop introduces a variety of drawing techniques as a means of meditation and of gaining a greater awareness of personal perspective. In the first half of the workshop, participants will be considering the life of St. Edith Stein/St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross through her autobiography, Life in a Jewish Family, and through her philosophical and theological writing.
Drawing techniques such as the contour and grid methods will be introduced in the second half of the workshop. Participants will be guided and supported throughout the creative process. It is essential to that process that participants will have opportunities to reflect together on the interior experience of drawing as well as the differences in visual perspective. These techniques will be the means of actively exploring the concept of empathy as understood and described by St. Edith Stein.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Date: Sat Nov 7 9:30am-3:30pm
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Led by : Anita Mascarenhas
Long before science was able to study the effects of deliberate acts of kindness and intending the good of another, Jesus, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, was elucidating the “mirror effect” of altruism, which in psychology and neuroscience refers to the phenomenon where witnessing or participating in a selfless act, produces parallel benefits in both the receiver and the giver.
In this workshop, we will delve deeper into the Parable, examining the questions, “Who is my neighbour”, “Who acted like a neighbour” and “What were the rewards promised?”
We will also examine research evidence that shows shifting focus away from oneself to help others or to send positive intentions reduces self-sabotage and can physically lower stress and boost the immune system.
A fascinating topic not to be missed!
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Overnight Retreats
(Prices include accommodation and meals)
ICON WRITING RETREAT
Led by: Phil Zimmerman
Cost : $820 for room and board +(art supply fee extra)
Date: Aug 9-15
Master Iconographer Phillip Zimmerman will guide students through creating one complete icon (to be determined).
Any level of experience is accepted. Each step is demonstrated to students, followed by time to copy what has been taught. Students will learn: filling in, rendering clothes and flesh, 23 karat gold leafing, and varnishing. In addition, students will gain familiarity with ruling pens and ruling pen compasses, and information of preparation of panels for painting.
Students will need to pre order their art boards and supplies directly through Phil Zimmerman at phil@iconworkshop.art
Enrollment is limited so register early.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
SUMMER STILLNESS
Date: Mon Aug 10 - Fri Aug 14
Led by: Kathryn McMorrow
Cost:$680
Relax, renew and re-energize in the tranquil and welcoming environment of Mount Carmel. The theme this year is DANCE OF THE SPIRIT: A Tribute to Maria Harris and Joyce Rupp. Topics will include: dance as a metaphor in the development of a woman’s spirituality and her connection with the divine; music and dance as a way of deepening spiritual practices; dance as a form of healing and empowerment; dance in community worship and celebration.
THIS IS NOT A SILENT RETREAT. Input sessions will be balanced with meditative activities and periods of silence for prayer and reflection, lectio divina and walking the labyrinth. Meals can be taken in silence or in conversation. If you wish, bring materials for artwork, a journal, loose clothing for gentle stretching and movement, and comfortable walking shoes.
Participants will be invited to customize this retreat to meet their needs. Registration is limited.
Recommended but not required reading: The Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Steps of Women’s Spirituality by Maria Harris and May I Have This Dance? By Joyce Rupp
For more information about the retreat, email questions to Kathryn at innovationsca@yahoo.ca
REGISTRATION IS THROUGH MOUNT CARMEL
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
OWNING YOUR VOICE: CELEBRATING YOUR UNIQUENESS
I have called you by name. Isaiah 43:1
Date: Fri August 14 - Sun August 16
Led by: Kathryn McMorrow
Cost:$350
A retreat of healing and empowerment for women, exploring the voices - both internal and eternal - that have kept us from speaking our truth, discovering our gifts, honouring our intuition and pursuing who we are called to be. Themes will include: deepening spiritual practices and learning new ones, understanding the voice as a conduit for both the heart and the head, the importance of internal and external boundaries in healthy communication, and the effects of stress on how we communicate to ourselves and to the world.
Input sessions will be balanced with meditative activities and periods of silence for prayer and reflection, lectio divina and walking the labyrinth. Meals can be taken in silence or in conversation. If you wish, bring materials for artwork, a journal and comfortable walking shoes.
For more information about the retreat, email Kathryn at innovationsca@yahoo.ca
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Stop and Smell the Roses--Treasure Today Retreat
Date: August 21 to 23
Led by: Anna Racine
Cost: $350
Spending time in the past or in the future is something we all struggle with. When we do this too often, we rob ourselves of living in the here and now. This weekend is an opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and to slow down.
Being present means not only appreciating the moment you are living in, but actually living in that moment!
Rest, relax and refresh and learn how to truly experience the gift of being present. Find tools on how to enjoy life more fully and not dwell on the past or live in the future. Explore becoming aware and awake of the beauty of each new day.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Grief & Gratitude Weekend Retreat
Date: Nov 13-15, 2026
Cost: $350 + creative materials fee $15
Led by: Beth Woelk
“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them.” Francis Weller - The Wild Edge of Sorrow
A transformative weekend designed to guide us through the tender landscape of loss and the profound beauty of appreciation. We will create a sacred and supportive space to acknowledge, honour, and integrate our experiences of grief, while simultaneously cultivating a deeper connection to gratitude.
During the weekend, we will create a handmade gratitude & grief journal using a simple book binding technique and collage. No artistic experience or talent required!
Weaving together reflection and ritual, music and poetry, guided journaling, time for individual contemplation and conversation with kind souls, this will be a slow-paced and restorative retreat.
Find out more about Beth at www.bethwoelk.com
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com