Event Details
Ash Wednesday: A Day of Reflection
Space is limited for this intimate day of reflection.
Check in from 8:00 am to 9:00 am The program begin at 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and includes lunch at 12:00 pm. We will have reconciliation follow with Mass and including distribution of Ashes.
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
Join us for a transformative day of reflection as we “Rethink Lent in the Light of God’s Love” at San Damiano Retreat in Danville. This unique Ash Wednesday retreat offers a fresh perspective on the Lenten journey, moving beyond traditional concepts of sacrifice and penance to explore the profound connection between divine and human love.
Led by our San Damiano team and featuring spiritual direction, this retreat invites you to discover how Lent can be a season of deepening your relationship with God through the lens of love rather than merely a period of restriction. You’ll explore the truth of how divinity resides within each of us and how we are called to manifest that love in the world.
The day includes:
– Thoughtful conferences on Franciscan spirituality and contemplative practices
– Opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual direction
– A special session on Visio Divina (divine seeing)
– The traditional distribution of ashes during Mass
– Celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist
Whether you’re seeking to deepen your spiritual practice or looking for a meaningful way to begin your Lenten journey, this retreat offers a supportive environment to explore the transformative message that “God is love” and how we are called to become living expressions of that love in our daily lives.
Come experience how the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can be transformed through the perspective of divine love, helping you to “see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day.”
About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Michael Cunningham, OFS
Dr. Michael Cunningham, OFS, completed his MA in Ministry at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA, and his Doctorate in Ministry at Catholic University in Washington, DC. He is the Executive Director of San Damiano Retreat in Danville, CA. Michael is married with four children and eleven grandchildren and is an avid writer, photographer and motorcyclist. Michael is a Retreat Master and Spiritual Director.
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.
Mark includes a “Franciscan spin” in his ministry — openness to many forms of spirituality, care of Self, and the value of action in our everyday world. Mark is also active in 12-step spirituality.
Margaret Riley has been a Spiritual Director since 2008, when she became certified via the Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA. Her Spiritual roots are Christian in the Roman Catholic Church, but in her practice as a Spiritual Director and retreat presenter, she enjoys companioning spiritual seekers from any tradition (or no tradition).
Margaret obtained a Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from the Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley, CA.(FST/GTU) in 2004. She has joyfully lived in the Bay Area for over 31 years and has been a full-time Minister in the Diocese of Oakland since 1994. Margaret’s study, understanding and experience of spirituality is born of a great variety of sources, including but not limited to the Ignatian tradition, Social Justice work, Addiction Recovery and 12-Step spirituality, Codependency recovery, Divorced/Widowed healing, Grief and Loss, Incarceration/Justice work, Mindfulness/Meditation, and Franciscan Spirituality.
