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
Mondays at 10am, Wednesdays at 10am. Fridays 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!
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
The Journey of Faith:
A Trip For A Lifetime!
Date: Sat. Feb 7 9:30am-3:30
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Led by: Anna Racine
The most important journey we will ever embark on in life is our spiritual journey. But sometimes we spend more time planning a trip than we do planning our faith journey. Many of us do not understand what spiritual growth is and why it is crucial to our wellbeing.
Spend the day discerning where you are in your spiritual life and find ways to nurture it. Explore your spiritual journey, as you reflect on the ups and downs, the challenges and triumphs, and the moments of profound insight and inspiration. Discover new depths of meaning and purpose in your life as you find ways to grow in faith, clarity, and wisdom.
“The most important trip you will ever take is the path towards a richer, more meaningful spiritual life.”
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
THE WISDOM OF THE HEART
Date: Sat Feb 21, 9:30 - 3:30
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Led by: Kathryn McMorrow
February is heart month. Let’s celebrate! Through mini-presentations, group work and listening partners, we will explore the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of the heart.
Topics will include: the relationship between the brain and the heart, the importance of heart coherence, the effects of stress on the heart and the role of intuition.
Participants will leave with a greater understanding of the miracle that is their heart and with practices to access the wisdom of the heart in daily life.
For further information about the workshop email questions to Kathryn at innovationsca@yahoo.ca
REGISTRATION IS THROUGH MOUNT CARMEL
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
GOOD BYE STRESS-
HELLO LIFE!
Date Sat Mar 21 (9:30am-3:30pm)
Cost: $70 (includes lunch)
Led by: Anna Racine
We live in a fast-paced society with a seemingly endless list of demands. Life naturally brings its share of challenges and stress. The key is to move forward so that stress doesn't impact other areas of your life.
Stress affects us all, but why exactly do we feel it and what causes it? This Workshop will empower you to take an honest look at what lies beneath your stressors and provide the tools to deal with them. Learn the difference between good and bad stress.
Stress is inevitable, but letting it control your life is optional. Learn how to deal with stress so you can say hello to life again!
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Overnight Retreats
(Prices include accommodation and meals)
Detached:
Cutting the Threads That Hold Us Back from God
Date: Fri Jan 30 to Sun Feb 1
Cost: $350
Led by: Anna Racine
Can I be detached from the things of this world? Can I love God above all, and be detached from anything that gets in the way of my loving Him? Do I truly and really want only His will in my life? These questions pose significant challenges for us in our quest for a closer relationship with God. We can fill our hearts with attachments to created things, other people, and affections. Or we can open our hearts to the unique, infinite love of God, and His will.
Spend a weekend exploring tools and methods to practice spiritual detachment. An opportunity to reflect what you may need to detach from so that you can become more attached to God. All great spirituality is about letting go and letting God.
“In embracing detachment, we open ourselves to the transformative grace of God and align our hearts with His will for us!”
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
WINTER STILLNESS:
A Retreat for Women
Date: Wed Feb 18 (starting with dinner at 5:3 Fri Feb 20 (after lunch)
Led by: Kathryn McMorrow
Cost: $350
A time out to renew body, mind and spirit in the tranquil and welcoming environment of Mount Carmel and the winter beauty of Niagara Falls. Themes will include: deepening spiritual practices, exploring the miracle that is our heart and its relationship to the brain, with practices to access the wisdom of the heart in daily life. What is your heart’s desire at this time in your life?
This is not a silent retreat but periods of reflective silence are encouraged. Meals can be taken in silence or in conversation.
Email questions about the retreat to Kathryn at innovationsca@yahoo.ca
REGISTRATION IS THROUGH MOUNT CARMEL.
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
A Woven Examen
Date: February 20 - 22 (Friday - Sunday)
Led by: Beth Woelk with Sharon Soderholm
Cost: $350+ Creative Materials Fee: $25
A weekend away to care for your soul, reflect upon the tapestry of your life, and weave your prayers. Over the course of the weekend, participants will create a woven icon, in which the meaning of each piece is hidden within the colours, textures, shapes and play of yarns chosen. Weaving our way through the three key movements of The Prayer of Examen - consolation, desolation and grace - we will discover our sense of God’s presence and felt absence, along with our hopes and prayers for tomorrow.
The Prayer of Examen is a beautiful and versatile spiritual practice that allows us to tell the truth about our lives…all the beauty and pain, sorrow and joy…and to glimpse the threads of Presence and Grace woven through our experiences of both strength and struggle.
This restorative retreat will include opportunities for individual reflection, stillness and silence, guided meditations and journaling, group conversations with kindred souls and personal free time. Be assured, no previous weaving experience is required!
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
“The Times They are A-Changin”
– A Retreat for Walking the Path of Change and Transition in Your Life
Date: February 27th to March 1st
Led by: Anna Racine
Cost: $350
Life is full of changes. Sometimes those changes are welcome and sometimes they are not. Are you feeling as if you are in transition as you navigate a new phase of life? Maybe there are dramatic changes that are out of your control - the loss of a loved one, a relationship, change in health or a job? Perhaps there are expected shifts in your life such as retirement, empty-nesting, or moving into a new house, and you are surprised it is taking time for you to adjust.
We all feel unnerved by this upheaval. We're concerned that our lives are not what we expected that we've veered off course, living life out of order. But we're not alone.
Regardless of what you are experiencing, it is important to give yourself the sacred time and space to honor it, reflect on it, and discover new life from it. Explore the various emotions associated with change and how to adjust and cope when change arrives.
This weekend is an opportunity to think deeply about the times of change in your life and how to transform them into periods of creativity and growth. Find strategies and tools to adapt to the changes and begin to rebuild and create your new life. Find meaning out of your time of transition and feel supported as you navigate this uncertain time.
“Be open to the transformation that change can bring.”
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
Letting Go –
- A Forgiveness Lenten Retreat
Led by: Anna Racine
Date: March 6-8 (Fri dinner through Sun lunch)
Cost: $350
Lent is a season of preparation for Easter and the celebration of new life. It is a season for self-denial and repentance. But what if we were to see Lent as a time of letting go instead of giving up? Lent is a time to let go of all that inhibits our ability to live the lives that God is calling us to. Letting go is about the process of forgiveness. To forgive is to free yourself from the pain of the past and to open yourself up to the joy and love available in the present moment.
Forgiveness is the gift we give to ourselves and to others because we first received it from God. Understanding forgiveness is the key to being able to forgive. Learn how to identify the stages of forgiveness on the journey to letting go. Explore how to release negative emotions of hurt, anger, blame and hatred so you can live more fully alive. You will be guided with tools that will enable you to let go and move forward with the healing process.
This Retreat will provide a caring and nurturing environment to work through the forgiveness process as you continue your Lenten journey towards the joy of Easter.
“FORGIVENESS: IT’S WHAT LENT IS ALL ABOUT”
To register call 905 356 4113 or email reservations@carmelniagara.com
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.