Santa Clara University

When:   6:00 pm Friday, June 29, 2012 - 1:00 pm Sunday, July 1, 2012
Where: Villa Maria del Mar, Santa Cruz, CA
Who:     Offered for faculty and staff of Santa Clara University
              (alumni and graduate students, space permitting)
Cost:     $150 for a single, or $100 for a double; partial scholarships are available.

Register for this retreat here

The Retreat

Join us for a weekend retreat at beautiful Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz, CA with retreat director Margaret Silf, noted author and spiritual director.

What does it mean to be a person of faith in today's world? Where is our life centered, and does our life really have any meaning?  Who is God for us?  Who is Jesus?  How does faith reveal itself in action, and become a transformative energy?  How can we be in relationship with this mystery?  The genius of St. Ignatius Loyola, who lived five hundred years ago, is that he unfolded an approach to spirituality that is astoundingly relevant to precisely these questions. During the retreat, we will explore some of the key aspects of Ignatian spirituality in ways that help us find access, through the deepest questions in our lives, onto the path that can lead us beyond (mere) belief, towards a radical trust in the source and ground of our being.

No previous knowledge of Ignatian spirituality is assumed and the material will be presented in non-specialist terms in ways that seek to connect the insights of Ignatius with the needs of the 21^st century.  More detailed retreat description here.

The Retreat Director

Margaret Silf was born and brought up in Sheffield, England and now lives in Scotland. She holds a BA (Hons) degree in English from the University of London and an M.A. from the University of Keele. She has one grown daughter and a small granddaughter.

After some years working as a translator in Germany, and as a systems programmer in the UK, she was employed until March 2000 as a technical author in the IT industry. She took the decision to leave paid employment at that point, to devote herself to creative writing, and accompanying others on their spiritual journey through retreats, workshops and days of reflection. She is the author of a number of books for contemporary pilgrims searching for a spiritual way, including Inner Compass, Wayfaring, Close to the Heart, Roots and Wings, Sacred Spaces, At Sea with God, and Compass Points.

Her faith journey has been very much shaped by Ignatian spirituality, which has helped her to find real, living connections with the Gospel of Christ as a power for transformation in our own times as much as in the times of Jesus. She has been trained by the Jesuits in prayer accompanying and retreat giving.

She spends a lot of time traveling, at home and abroad, and feels at home "on the road," so to speak, discovering deep spirituality in those both within and beyond the traditional church. She is committed to working across and beyond the traditional denominational divides.

The experience of the "inner journey" (her own and others') is the inspiration for what she writes. She is a regular contributor to the New Daylight series of daily readings/reflections for the Bible Reading Fellowship and a regular columnist with America magazine.

The Retreat Center

Villa Maria del Mar is located on the edge of the beautiful Monterey Bay. The Center is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names. Since 1963 the Sisters and a dedicated staff have welcomed guests and shared the gift of hospitality by providing space for individuals or groups as well as meeting places for seminars and conferences. The healing rhythm of the Monterey Bay provides a background for walking and relaxation. Once visitors experience the serenity and beauty, they return year after year.  Delicious home cooked meals are served in the beautiful Surfside Dining Room with a picturesque Bay view from any vantage point. For more information about the retreat center click here.