Event Details
A Safe and Sober New Years
Come join us for a New Year’s holiday free of alcohol, noise, and that pesky New Year’s Eve ball drop from Times Square! We will celebrate the blessings in our lives and discover the challenges we expect in 2025.
Check-in on Monday, December 30 is from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
The program will start at 4:00 pm in your meeting room.
Dinner is served at 6:00 PM.
The retreat concludes with lunch at noon on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 and departure after lunch at least by 1:00 pm the latest.
Cancellation policy
Overnight or Multi-day/weekend retreats: $50 fee. Day Retreat: $20. Fees may be applied to future retreats. The fees may be waived in event of extenuating circumstances. Contact Kateri at 925-837-9141 x315.
About the Event
I give myself the green light to move forward, and to joyously embrace the new.
Louise Hay
In our time together, we will blend moments of group reflection, personal meditation time, meals in common, and (optional) 12 Step meetings. The winter climate can help us stay calm and serene. The presenters will offer short reflections with plenty of time for you to process. We will look at the ups and downs of 2024 and talk about some “tools” to assist our joyously embracing the new…. There will be no official midnight celebration. No resolutions are allowed! This is a time of reality check and making gentle decisions about 2025. We will be in a safe and sober environment.
In our sessions together we will have the opportunity to:
- Review the past year and embrace the newness of 2025
- Check in with the God of our own understanding
- Fine tune the power of prayer and meditation in our daily lives
- Find the new invitations that God might be sending our way this year
- Freshen our understanding of 12 Step spirituality
- Consider signing up for a brief one-to-one spiritual direction session which will be offered on Saturday.
San Damiano Retreat is a Franciscan retreat center. We will include moments highlighting Franciscan spirituality. Certainly, this is important as we take a look at being gentle with others as we are gentle with ourselves.
The retreat ends with Mass at 11 am (for those who wish), followed by a festive lunch.
Please consider this unique and holy way to celebrate New Year’s. If you have any questions about the retreat content, please contact Bro. Mark at (619) 962-0919.
About the Presenter(s)
Bro. Mark Schroeder, O.F.M.Mark has been a Franciscan Friar for over 40 years. He lives at San Damiano Retreat and offers spiritual direction. His other ministries have included social justice advocacy, teaching ecological awareness and nonviolence, parish work, homeless housing, and being the Guardian (local superior) in our Franciscan friaries. He enjoys leading retreats on all sorts of topics.
Margaret has been drawn to the Franciscan Spirituality since 1983. She was with the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity for almost 10 years. She has lived in the Bay Area since 1989 and has done parish ministry throughout the diocese since 1990. In 2004 she received a Masters degree in Pastoral Ministry from The Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. She went through a 3 year certification program from the Spiritual Direction Institute founded by the Mercy Sisters of Burlingame, CA. Margaret joined the Spiritual Direction team at San Damiano in 2018 and continues to minister at San Damiano with the retreat team and Spiritual Direction. Her side hobbies (joys) is making cards from photos taken on her hikes (huge lover of nature), dog sitting, movies, (greatest joy) doting over her 20 nieces and nephews and 28 great nieces and nephews.
David has been a Franciscan for over 30 years. He lives in San Francisco and works currently in the leadership of the Franciscans on the West Coast. As an ordained Franciscan, he has worked mostly in parish ministry. Living in downtown San Francisco he currently does some ministry with the homeless and those who have addiction problems. He is interested in environmental living and contemplative prayer.
