Women’s One-Day Retreat
Read through the information on this page and if you are interested in discussing a Blossom Retreat for your parish or other organization, or if you have any questions or comments, fill in the “Get in Touch” form below and I will get back to as soon as possible.
All about Blossom
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What is Blossom?
Blossom is a one-day retreat designed for women of all ages. It is a day for women to take time out their busy lives and allow God to strengthen and nourish them. It is a time to fill themselves up with God's love as he ministers to them through the inspirational speakers, uplifting music, prayer, sharing and the making of new friends.
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Retreat Details (sample)
Saturday, May 14, 2022
9:00 AM-3:30 PM
Location: Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Address: 101 Walt Banks Road, Peachtree City
Please join us for a joyous day with inspirational speakers, delicious food, uplifting music, prayer, sharing and making new friends!
Doors will open at 8:15 AM for a full breakfast and registration. The formal program will begin at 9:00 AM. Lunch and afternoon snacks will also be provided. The retreat will end at 3:30 PM.
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Great Gift Idea
Looking for a meaningful gift for Mother’s Day or another occasion for a special lady in your life – wife, sister, daughter, or friend? Perhaps you have a co-worker or a neighbor that could benefit from a retreat? Let us know it’s a gift and we’ll make sure you have a gift card to present.
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Speakers & Musicians
There are many different options for speakers and musicians:
Use speakers and musicians from your own parish or group.
Choose a speaker(s) and musician(s) from our recommended list.
Choose speakers and musicians that you are familiar with.
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Sample Retreat Schedule
Click the button below to see a sample retreat schedule for a bilingual event.
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Suggested Donation and Payment
The Suggested Donation for the retreat is $40/person. This will help to cover the costs for the food, retreat supplies, gift bags, speakers and musicians. Payment can be made online, in the Faith Formation Office, or by mailing a check to (parish name). Payment can also be made at the door the day of the retreat but the cost would be $45.00.
Financial Assistance is available.
Special Request: There are many women who find it difficult to pay the suggested donation for the retreat. If you can help us out by offering a donation to help cover the costs for them we would greatly appreciate it.
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Blossom Retreat Team
The size of your retreat planning team is up to you. If you are planning on offering separate English and Spanish tracks, we suggest that you have both Spanish speaking and English speaking women on the team and also women who can translate well. The Retreat Team will be responsible for developing the theme (should be chosen ahead of time for efficiency) and completing all of the tasks in preparation for the retreat.
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Team Preparation for Retreat
Team Meetings usually begin three months prior to the retreat and take place once a week for two hours. Each meeting begins in the Church or chapel with intercessory prayer and a decade of the rosary as a sign of consecrating the retreat to Our Blessed Mother. This usually takes about 10 minutes. We then proceed to the meeting room for about 20 minutes of social time and breakfast. The remainder of each meeting consists of spiritual reflection on theme of the retreat and from that flows the discussion about the specific details.
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Retreat Promo Video (sample)
This is a sample of a promo video that was used to promote the retreat.
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Themes to Choose From:
We have developed the following retreat themes:
“Blessed is She Who Has Believed” (Luke 1:45) - Jesus and the Woman with the Hemorrhage
Encounter with Jesus at the Well - The Samaritan Woman - Jesus thirsts for our Love! He said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" John 4:7
“My Peace I Give to You” (John 14:27)
“She Has Done a Beautiful Thing to Me” (Matthew 26:10) - The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
Lord, Teach Us to Pray
Prayer
Martha and Mary
Who, Me? A Saint?
The Holy Spirit in My Life
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Retreat Name, Table Names, Name Tags, Scarves, Retreat Programs, Gift Bags, Deocrations
There are so many special parts of this retreat. Click on the black button below to learn about some of them.
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Sample Webpage to Advertise Retreat
Includes registration form.
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Summary of Evaluations of a Retreat
Press the black button below to read a summary of the participant evaluations from one of the retreats.
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Eucharistic Adoration
Each one of our retreats ended with Eucharistic Adoration. It was very special each time and a beautiful way to end the retreat. For several of the themes we set up a special area for Eucharistic Adoration that corresponded with the theme. For example, in the picture here, the theme was the Woman with the Alabaster Jar (Matthew 26:7). For Eucharistic Adoration we placed a bowl on the step before the altar and each lady had been given a small bottle with lavender essential oil in it and had the opportunity to pour her perfume in the bowl before Jesus. Each woman participated and was very moved.
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Consecrate Retreat to Our Blessed Mother
One very important thing that I have learned over the past 25 years is that Our Lady is always ready to help with each event. This is not just my discovery and this is not just any kind of help.
Through the centuries Christians seeking to more fully know, love and serve God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - have done so by consecrating their lives to Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary. My team and I consecrated each Blossom Retreat that we planned to Our Blessed Mother. She is always interceding for us with her son, so that we will encounter his personal love for us and be able to respond to it.
OUR BLESSED MOTHER IS THE PATRON SAINT OF CATHOLIC EVENT PLANNERS
What a joy is the thought that Mary prays for the needs that we overlook. She quietly works in the background so that everything is set up for her Son to be glorified and his power is manifested. Think of the Wedding Feast of Cana (John 2:1-12). She alone noticed that the wine was running out and interceded with her Son for help. He responded to her request and provided the best wine. She will do the same for us if we consecrate the retreat to her.
Personal Testimony
The first time we held the “Treasures of the Church - Sacred Relics Exhibit” at our parish is a great example of how Our Lady helps. Fr. Carlos Martins had never been to our parish before this event and so he was not familiar with the way the parish gathering spaces were set up. After briefly describing each of the two possible rooms that he could use he decided on the Saint Faustina Room. He requested that 20 rectangle tables be setup with no chairs. However, when he arrived he felt that our other space, Loreto Hall, was a better place to hold this event. The only problem was that Loreto Hall was full of round tables and chairs and I was the only person there to set the room up as he requested. I had previously consecrated this event to Our Lady so at this point I prayed a quick prayer asking her for help. Within a couple minutes, the door to Loreto Hall opened and a parishioner came in and asked me if I needed help with anything because he had the Our Lady of Mercy High School Basketball Team with him and they had some time to kill. They took all of the round tables and chairs down and set up the 20 rectangle tables. I was so grateful and amazed at our Lady’s gracious help.
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Blossom 2020
Theme: The Woman at the Well
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Blossom 2021
Theme: My Peace I Give to You
It was a Zoom Retreat because of Covid Lockdowns.
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Blossom 2022
Theme: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
Get in touch
If you are interested in discussing a Blossom Retreat for your parish or other organization, or if you have any questions or comments, fill in the form below and I will get back to as soon as possible.