Call to Community

The Friends of Saint Joseph welcome you to a retreat at the sisters’ property at Timberlee in Cold Spring, Minnesota. The retreat will start on Friday evening, 19 September, and continue through Monday morning, 22 September. You are welcome to all or part of the retreat, we recommend joining us for the whole day Saturday if you cannot stay overnight.

If you would like to join us, please take these two simple steps:

  1. Register for the retreat with our Retreat Registration Form.
  2. Add yourself to our Meal Signup Sheet.

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Schedule

The retreat is a work-in-progress, so please don’t be surprised by changes to this schedule, but here is what we have planned so far. All times are approximate.

Friday

  • After 2 pm: Arrive and settle in any time.
  • Afternoon: Free to enjoy each other’s company, walk, read, play, or just relax.
  • 5 pm: Prayer including our prayer intentions, and a simple blessing for the beginning of the retreat. (Martha Claus)
  • 5:30 pm: Supper.
  • After supper: Share what we are involved in at this point in our lives.

Saturday

  • Before 9:30 am: breakfast. (Dishes will be set up for you to do your own.)
  • 9:40 am: Chair exercises (Peggy Fisher)
  • 10:15-11:15 am: Welcome and getting to know each other activity (Peggy Fisher)
  • 11:30-12:15: Overview of the Acts of Chapter 2013 (Carolyn Puccio and Kathy Ryan)
  • 12:30 pm: Lunch
  • 1 pm: Quiet time
  • 3:30-4:30 pm: Discussion on Church: The People of God (Kathy Ryan and Carolyn Puccio)
  • 5:00 pm: Supper What we are called to this year as the Friend’s group
  • Bring your calendar for choosing the best day of the week and time.
  • After supper for about one hour: What we are called to this year.
  • Evening: s’mores, games, star gazing (the nights are very dark with millions of stars on display if the night is clear).

Sunday

  • 8:30am: Breakfast and prep for liturgy with Sunday by Sunday. (Peggy Fisher)
  • 10am: Depart for liturgy.
  • 10:30am: Liturgy at St. John’s University or St Ben’s
  • Noon: Lunch.
  • 1:15pm: Short Prayer and reading (Ed Fisher)
  • followed by sharing about what we received from our retreat
  • Clean our rooms and common spaces, pack up for those who are leaving.
  • Those leaving on Monday will clean the kitchen.
  • Supper: Leftovers.

Travel to Timberlee

We will be arranging car pools for travel to Timberlee for the retreat. Please be sure to indicate your interest on the retreat registration form when you sign up. If you are driving yourself, please grab a copy of the directions to Timberlee or click on the Google map below to see where you need to go.

Accommodations

Timberlee is rustic but comfortable. It has drinkable running water, bathrooms, a fireplace, a complete kitchen, and many beds. However, it is not well heated, so if it gets chilly outside, you will be chilly inside. Make sure you bring along appropriate clothing, bedding (sleeping bags or sheets), and bath towels. There are some pillows and blankets, but feel free to bring your own. While there is electricity, flashlights are still a great help, so you should probably bring a flashlight along as well. There is no internet connection available.

There is a phone for emergencies or for folks to call in: 320-685-3154. Most cell phones will also work at Timberlee.

Food

Please visit the meal signup sheet and let us know what food you can bring to the retreat. Cara Anthony is coordinating meals and can be reached at by email with any questions.

Coffee, tea, and water will be supplied, but please bring along any other beverages you would like to drink or share. Some beverages are listed on the meal signup sheet. Please consider signing up for one or more meal items. You will then be responsible for purchasing and preparing that item. Timberlee has a good kitchen with all the basic equipment, so we can prepare food once we get there, and we can help each other cook.

There is no signup for the Sunday evening meal — we will either feast on leftovers, or get food locally.

Registration

Please fill out our Retreat Registration Form as soon as possible so we can complete our planning. Please also feel free to invite a spouse or partner or other interested person to join us!

The sisters ask for a $10 donation per person for the day or a $20 donation if you are staying for the whole weekend. Just bring that along. If it is difficult for you to make this donation, please know you are also welcome to the retreat without it.

Kathy Ryan is coordinating this retreat and is available by email or at 651-699-1161 if you have any questions.