Teachers' Retreat

Sandal Steps with Dots
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Connecting the Dots and Sharing Your Journey with the Holy Spirit
Kelly Ann Lynch is pleased to offer a teachers' retreat for Catholic school teachers, faculty and staff.

Sensing the nearness of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, this retreat offers teachers an opportunity to pause and reflect, refresh and renew before, during or after a busy school year.

Who are you? Where did you come from? Who has guided you along the way? Kelly will share stories of her own life, explaining how faith became such an integral part of who she is. She will challenge the teachers, faculty and staff members to look deeply into their own hearts and begin drawing and connecting the dots that make up who they are today, focusing especially on those who helped mold their spiritual paths.

Who is the Holy Spirit? Where did He come from? And how has He guided you along the way? Kelly will share biblical and factual events to explain who the Holy Spirit is, giving practical suggestions and ideas as to how one can learn to follow Him, to hear Him, to listen for His voice. "A special grace that comes from the Holy Spirit allows us to choose right from wrong and good from evil," she will tell the teachers, reinforcing what St. Paul said: “Are you not aware that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Through personal reflection, Kelly will guide the teachers to discover who has been the voice of the Holy Spirit in their own lives.

Can you catch the Spirit? Can you allow the Spirit to breathe new life into you each day? Change takes time, but Kelly will encourage the teachers to catch the Spirit, already present in their lives. "The larger the Spirit, the easier it is to catch," she will tell them after having them participate in an activity to reinforce that belief. Discussing the importance of prayer, each participant will be assigned a prayer partner for the year.

How can you bring the Spirit into your everyday life? How can you share the Spirit with others? With your students? How will you allow the Spirit to change you? Using real life stories and situations, Kelly will solidify this presentation by reinforcing that "God is real. God gave us free will. We can find God everywhere. God will not abandon us. And God wants us to be aware." As faculty and educators in Catholic schools, teachers have a unique opportunity to share their faith stories with the students they encounter. Their journeys with Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are an important aspect of how they teach and reach their students. Kelly will encourage the teachers to share their own faith journeys with their students in an effort to model the very important aspect of faith. Faith is necessary. And Kelly will offer teachers suggestions and ways to make that faith visible to students in the classroom.

We are all one body in Christ and must respect everyone present in our schools, and Kelly will share that message with teachers at this retreat. Quoting from Mother Teresa, she will share how the toxic emotions and words spoken in the spirit of anger can leave behind a terrible wake, encouraging teachers and staff not to allow that to happen in their schools.

Sharing stories of love and forgiveness, tragedy and triumph, sadness and joy, Kelly will engage the teachers in this half day retreat in the hopes of encouraging, enlightening and empowering them to be all they were called to be and to embrace their vocation and occupation of teachers in Catholic schools.

The presentation will end with a look at the future, with an end goal in sight. After connecting their own dots in spiritual activities and exercises, the teachers will be encouraged to begin again, with a renewed sense of hope and faith.

The presentation is 4 hours long, with two 15 minute breaks and includes time for individual personal reflection.

Here's what other teachers and school faculty members are saying ...

"A must to renew the Spirit!"

"Excellent job, well prepared."

"This retreat was the best afternoon I've spent in a long time!"

"[Kelly's] love of God and her passion for her faith truly inspired me."

"A marvelous retreat!"

"Well prepared, enthusiastic, material well organized and relevant to theme of the workshop."

"Wonderful life lessons learned."

"Your faith witness allowed me to see and hear the Spirit!"

"Thank you. I needed a kick from the Holy Spirit today!"