Retreats

ACTS

ACTS stands for Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service, and it is these four themes that are the focus of the activities of the weekend. The ACTS retreats are three day weekend retreats. The weekends are parish-oriented with an aim to evangelize and bring the people of one parish closer to Christ. The goals are to develop in each person a strong commitment to Christ; to Christian community within the parish; and to apostolic action within the family and parish.

Our Lady Queen of Heaven no longer hosts ACTS retreats. Please call the Church office to find out information on other parishes in the Diocese of Lake Charles who have ACTS retreats scheduled.

For more information, contact Felicia Borel at OLQH at 477-1236 or email [email protected].

 

Women’s Retreat

Our Lady Queen of Heaven Women’s Lenten Silent Retreat is held annually on Palm Sunday weekend at St. Charles Retreat Center. Various Retreat Masters lead this retreat that is especially for parishioners of OLQH, but we warmly extend an invitation to all women of the Diocese of Lake Charles, as well as others. The center has 36 rooms with twin beds giving it a capacity for 72 ladies. You may reserve a private or semiprivate room for the weekend which begins on Friday evening with dinner at 6:30, and ends with lunch on Sunday following the 10:30/11:00 A.M. Mass. Commuting is possible for women unable to stay for the entire weekend. Saint Charles Retreat Center offers partial or full scholarships for those needing assistance.

For more information or to reserve a room, contact Retreat Captain Andrea Blanchard at 337-474-1788.
 

Faith Renewal

A Faith Renewal Retreat’s purpose is to "Renew" our Faith in God as an individual, and as a part of the community of the Body of Christ. When Bishop Sam Jacobs (ret.) was pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel, he began the "Awakening Retreats" for college students. He later adapted the weekends for adults when he was pastor at St. Mary of the Lake in Grand Lake.

Faith Renewal weekends welcome all adults including couples, as well as single men and women who are at least 18 years of age and out of high school. We also welcome men and women of other faiths. The weekend is Catholic, but all are invited, and treated with respect and understanding.

As in many retreats such as Cursillo, silent retreats, and ACTS, there are presentations on a number of subjects given by clergy as well as lay people. There are opportunities to participate in the Sacraments. We also enjoy good fellowship, music, and fun on a Faith Renewal Weekend. Because our staffers open up their homes for the weekends, we are able to hold down the cost of the weekend for new candidates. We ask for a small donation if the person can afford it, but all are welcome regardless of ability to pay.

For more information, contact Charles and Karen Guidry at 337-478-8035 or email: - [email protected]
 

Rachel's Vineyard (Healing the pain of abortion - one weekend at a time)

Rachel's Vineyard weekends for healing after abortion are offered throughout the year in locations across the United States and Canada, with additional sites around the world. Rachel’s Vineyard is a ministry of Priests for Life.

The program is an opportunity to examine your abortion experience, identify the ways that the loss has impacted you in the past and present, and helps to acknowledge any unresolved feelings that many individuals struggle with after abortion. Because of the emotional numbness and secrecy that often surrounds an abortion experience, conflicting emotions both during and after the event may remain unresolved. These buried feelings can surface later and may be symptoms of post abortion trauma.

Married couples, mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings of aborted children, as well as persons who have been involved in the abortion industry have come to Rachel's Vineyard in search of peace and inner healing. The weekend is a lot of work but yields a fruitful harvest for all who are willing to labor there. To learn more, please read about our weekend retreats. Also, please see comments from people who have attended the weekends, as well as our explanation of the name "Rachel's Vineyard."

The Diocese of Lake Charles facilitates two Rachel's Vineyard retreats every year at the St. Charles Center in Moss Bluff. For more information or to register, please contact Marjorie Long at 337-439-7400, ext. 317 or email [email protected]. ALL INQUIRIES AND PARTICIPATION ARE CONFIDENTIAL.

UPCOMING RETREATS
February 28-March 2, 2025
October 17-19, 2025