See Retreat through Our Eyes | Retreat Recap 2024

Right now, a large portion of our time as a community and mission is spent online between Story Calls, Book Clubs, and our community platform. God made us to be in incarnate community, so we’re moving in that direction through our growing in-person Hearth Groups and Nooks. But Retreat is when our hearts are fullest: four days set aside to encounter God through prayer and in each other’s lives– to remember who we are, whose we are, where we’re going, and who we’re walking with. 

There’s nothing quite like it, but we’ll do our best to give you a glimpse through the eyes of our community members and team!

DAY 1

When he arrived at our retreat site, Marvin noticed something different right away: 

“Something that touched my heart is that when I got to the registration table– Shannon called me by my name.” This was his first time on an Eden Invitation Retreat, the first time he ever met any of us in person. 

After dinner, Tony and our other retreatants received an introduction to being a Barefoot Royal by considering the opposite: 

“The conception of the Barefoot Royal vs the Shod Orphan really helped me think about my relationship with God. I analyze my actions in many ways against this conception. Like, is what I'm about to do more in line with what a Barefoot Royal would do or what a Shod Orphan would do? Am I relying on and trusting in God's will or am I trying to do something alone and according to my will?” 

DAY 2

Our first prayer time on Friday morning was a 2-hour Grand Silence. As Barefoot Royals, it is vital that we take time before God, in silence make space to listen to His voice. But before entering that potentially intense prayer time, Amy Roza and Fr. Malachy Napier gave a talk on how to navigate the emotional, psychological, and spiritual difficulties that can arise when we enter silence. Bridget remembered these tools during her prayer: “The ‘how-to-do-solitude’ talk made the Grand Silence super fruitful because I actually had a game plan of what I should do.”

Following that time in prayer, JJ* and the other retreatants gathered for lunch in their Family Meal Groups. These groups are intentionally crafted – each of these small groups is prayed for, discerned, and then arranged by our staff before the retreatants arrive. Year after year we’ve seen the graces God pours into each conversation, and as JJ* witnessed:

“This group of people felt exactly like a prayer I didn't know I had was answered. My Family Group was so pivotal to the retreat experience for me, and I am hopeful some lifelong friendships will develop because of our time together.”

After lunch, there was time for our Regional Groups to meet in person (which also gave new members a chance to meet others in their area!) There was also time for spiritual direction and “Life Chats” with members of our pastoral team. Fr. Nathan Hall was part of our retreat team for the third year in a row: 

“I feel 100% a spiritual father during the retreats.  So, even though I'm on the pastoral team and supposed to be giving, I feel like, in serving, I receive so much life.” 

Walking together through life means accompanying each other through many difficulties as well as joys. That afternoon, we offered our daily Mass for the repose of the soul of our brother R* who passed away in late September from a pre-existing condition. While over 30 of us were able to make it to his funeral, this was a space for many more in our community to process this loss and celebrate the ways he glorified God through his life. 

“I felt very connected to the community and many old friends.” Jon shared. “It was a very emotional and heavy weekend with so much grief, but I was very supported.”

“I did not have the pleasure to know R*” JJ* shared, “but even so, I was profoundly impacted by the Mass and testimonies. It was beautiful to witness, and I felt honored to have experienced such a moment for the community.”

We spent the evening in Eucharistic Adoration, where we had opportunities to go to confession and be prayed over by our religious and lay Pastoral Team members. For Rowan, their openness and presence brought peace: “It's so reassuring to see that there are people in the pews around us [those with LGBTQ+ experiences] who are safe.”

To balance the processing and prayer, we always end the day with social time. In one area there were board games available, in another there was space to catch up and chat, and in our main room we held a favorite Eden Invitation activity: Karaoke. 

DAY 3

In Saturday’s morning session, we moved to understanding being Barefoot Royals in community. Sr. Agnes Therese shared about mutual reverence, which started our time of Story Sharing in Family Groups. For Sr. Mary Grace, as it is for many in our community, Eden Invitation is the first space she felt safe to let her guard down: “I was so nervous going on the retreat as a religious participant... I am so used to playing the role of minister on retreats... But I was welcomed like everyone else, and felt very loved and accepted! The experience of this retreat has allowed me to accept myself and to feel comfortable in my own skin for the first time in my life.”

We closed our time of Story Sharing with Mass, offering thanksgiving for the gift He’s given us through each unique and unrepeatable person. 

The afternoon was open– free time to rest, play, and pray as people needed. We also had space for people to meet in demographic subgroups– a chance to talk with others who share more particular aspects of LGBTQ+ and life experiences like asexuality, gender disconnect, discerning or being in a sacramental marriage, working in ministry, and so on. 

We rounded out the talks with David Neira’s session on “Our Royal Legacy.” In our Baptism, we are adopted as God’s Children, called to continue Christ’s mission in the world as priest, prophet, and king (CCC 1241). While exploring the ways each of us can live and serve from our identity as Heirs to the Kingdom, he invited community members to step forward and share their testimonies to illustrate. Another image David Neira led a reflection on was of Christ’s two crowns– David T. watched him hold up a golden laurel crown and a crown of thorns from the Holy Land: “I loved David's talk on embracing the two crowns of our royalty: both of victory and of thorns. It still gives me a lot to ponder and pray with moving forward on how royalty is a paradox in the Christian journey.”

Our last evening session brought so much of the retreat together. Kneeling before the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration again, Fr. Malachy Napier prayerfully read from John 13– the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet– and encouraged us to be vulnerable before the Lord, to be “barefoot.” We then processed through the retreat site, following Christ and walking beside each other through the dark night. Our procession ended with Benediction, and then just as Jesus did in John 13, we served each other through a foot-washing in our Family Groups, showing that mutual reverence as fellow royals. Brook* shared, “I was surprised by how much I loved the foot washing. It was a profound moment of communion with the Lord and each other.” 

That last night together, we celebrated each other’s gifts through our traditional TalenTED Show. Community members, Staff, and Pastoral Team Members all had something to share– from TED talks about architecture, wifi, and dialoguing with others, to musical numbers and original songs. 

DAY 4

On every Eden Invitation Retreat, Sunday morning has the same basic rhythm: Mass with a Renewal of our Baptismal Vows and a brunch with toasts.

This year we were honored to have Bishop Michael Izen, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, for Sunday Mass! Together, we renewed our Baptismal Vows– we do this as many of us may never say “I do” to another person in a Church. Even if we have through religious vows or a sacramental marriage, our Baptismal “I do” precedes all of them. We are the Lord’s first, and these promises reorient our hearts to our ultimate goal: union with Him in Heaven.

And what Wedding would be complete without the Wedding Feast? Following Mass, we toast each other in our Family Groups during brunch. We give thanks to God for His creativity in each person’s life, and we celebrate the ways we’ve said yes throughout the journey. 

And while we know we can see each other online or in our Hearth Groups, we cannot wait until we can be in person all together again. In Ethan’s words: 

“Eden Invitation is the family I thought I wouldn't have. Having this time with others who share these experiences dramatically improves my prayer life. It really helps me to relax and break down mental walls that I didn't even realize were present, allowing me to draw much closer to God in prayer. 

The fellowship in worship and in community time is truly a foretaste of heaven - it is what the Church should feel like - everybody showing mutual love for each other and God together.”

*Asterisks note pseudonyms used for retreatants’ privacy as not all of our community members are public about their LGBTQ+ experiences.