Nature Immersion in Love's Creation
for creation lovers
June 14th, 2025
In the woodland setting of St. Joe's Ridge
La Crosse, WI
When we soak up the love in creation,
we find that we, too,
are nothing but love.
Nature Immersion in Love's Creation
JUNE 14th, 2025
Saturday, 9am-4pm
Investment: $95, includes lunch
Registration deadline: June 2nd
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This retreat will be held at the woodland Hermitages on St. Joe's Ridge.
Directions will be provided closer to the retreat date.
Hosted by:
Franciscan Spirituality Center
920 Market Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
Description:
Creation is an outpouring of divine love. A foundational source of our healing and wholeness, nature immersion is a fundamental way we can experience Emmanuel- God with us. We will expand our embodied awareness of our spirituality and sacred interbeing with the practices of forest therapy, breathwork & gentle body movement. These include guided meditations, individual quiet time, song, and group reflections.
This retreat is non-judgmental, inclusive, and trauma informed, and you can adjust each activity to your needs. If you need space to de-stress, this retreat is for you. If you need time set aside to recenter, this is for you. Our bodies house both stifling stress and a deep knowing of the path forward. By placing our collective bodies back in the heart of Creation, we invite the blessing of the Comforter, the ground of I Am. This gathering of nature-loving souls will steep our hearts in the container of holy peace.
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Such love does
the sky now pour,
that whenever I stand in a field,
I have to wring out the light
when I get
home.
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-St. Francis
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St. Joe's Ridge ~ Retreat Center near La Crosse, WI
Registration and optional lodging:
Register HERE and click at Program/Retreats.
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If you wish to stay overnight in La Crosse before and/or after the retreat,
you could request a heritage in the woods ($80/night) or a FSCP bedroom in-town ($75/night),
or find a local hotel or Airbnb.
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Register now to secure one of the limited spots.
See 2 optional pre-retreat sessions below.
Below: Rev. Denise Ellen Hill (ACPE supervisor and UCC minister), mentor of Rev. Shannon Gorres.
Shannon is offering 2 pre-retreat experiences,
preparing us for this retreat and celebrating the 100th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi (a nature-loving saint):
CANTICLE OF THE SUN
APRIL 23
Wednesday 6-7:30pm
Investment: $18
Registration deadline: April 21
Description:
With a candle flame and a bowl of water, we will contemplate elements that St. Francis celebrated to praise the Lord. You can be inside or outside. We'll rejoice with Marty Haugen's song based on St. Francis' 1224 Canticle. What does it mean to relate to Creation as Brother Son and Sister Moon, Brother Fire and Sister Mother Earth? How could it feel to meditate on the blessings of beautiful light, creatures, and flowers?
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BE STILL AND KNOW
MAY 14
Wednesday 6 p.m. - 7:30pm
Investment: $18
Registration deadline: May 9
Description:
When we embrace stillness in nature, we might be surprised by what we hear. It may sound like love. Deepen your relationship with Creation through mindfulness and interbeing with nature. You will listen and participate via a phone or ipad while outside. We begin with a 20 minute guided meditation and continue with gentle, slow and sensory explorations. This ANFT structured sequence was grown from the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, ‘forest bathing.' We bathe in the atmosphere of the forest (or the ecosystem we're in), and listen for the voice of the Spirit.
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“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted in the earth.” Ps. 46:10
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Each program is separate and open for registration.
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Register HERE and click at Program/Retreats.
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