The Pray More Retreat

Inspiring talks to help you deepen your prayer life

for a fruitful, prayerful and holy Advent

Here’s What You Get When You Register:

Speakers

Video Presentations with Transcripts

Reflective Study Guides

Welcome to the Pray More Advent Retreat!

We invite you to join us this Advent to prepare your heart to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ!

St. Teresa of Calcutta said the season of Advent is like springtime in nature — “when everything is renewed and is so fresh and healthy.” She said, “Advent is also meant to do this to us — to refresh us and make us healthy, to be able to receive Christ in whatever form he may come to us.”

We want to help you do that — that’s why we created the Pray More Advent Retreat!

As a part of this retreat, you will receive access to 20 different talks on prayer, the season of Advent, and lessons from the saints. That’s 5 talks for each week of Advent. Each of those talks will also come with a printable study guide that has reflective questions and prayers to accompany the presentation, along with transcripts of each presentation. You can participate at your own pace. Some of the talks are 10 minutes long, and some of them are closer to 20.

We hope the Pray More Advent Retreat will help you to intentionally work on your prayer life this Advent — wherever you are, and whenever you have the time.

Once you register, we will send all the presentations to your email for you to enjoy :)

St. John Paul II said, “The Word who found a dwelling in Mary’s womb comes to knock on the heart of every person with singular intensity this Christmas.” We hope the Pray More Retreat will help you to be ready to open the door to our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to respond to His call to holiness and faithfulness.

God bless you!

John-Paul & Annie

PrayMoreNovenas.com

 

— Why join the Pray More Lenten Retreat? — 

 

Learn how to have a holy, prayerful, and peaceful Advent season.

Reflect on God’s mercy and love for us as He comes to live among us. 

Renew your hope as you wait for God’s answers to your prayers.

Learn to love the sacraments and live a life inspired by the saints.

 Slow down and meditate on what we’re waiting for this Advent — every Advent, and what we are waiting for, ultimately, in this world: union with Christ.

 

Become more intentional with your prayer life for the new Liturgical Year.   

Deepen your faith and pray more this Advent season from the comfort of your own home! 

— What would the Saints say about this? — 

“Are we ready to receive Him? Before the birth of Jesus, his parents asked for a simple dwelling place, but there was none. If Mary and Joseph were looking for a home for Jesus, would they choose … your heart, and all it holds? Let us pray that we shall be able to welcome Jesus at Christmas…”

— St. Teresa of Calcutta

“Advent is here. What a marvelous time in which to renew your desire, your nostalgia, your real longing for Christ to come — for him to come every day to your soul in the Eucharist. The Church encourages us: He is about to arrive!”

— St. Josemaria Escriva

“The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with him the riches of his grace.”

– St. Charles Borromeo

“The liturgy of Advent…helps us to understand fully the value and meaning of the mystery of Christmas… Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously.”

— St. John Paul II

TOPICS

Discovering the Joy in Advent

Discovering the Joy in Advent

by Sarah Reinhard

How to Slow Down in Prayer During Advent

How to Slow Down in Prayer During Advent

by Sarah Reinhard

Turning to Mary During Advent

Turning to Mary During Advent

by Sarah Reinhard

Six Ways to Keep Your Advent Season Holy Part I

Six Ways to Keep Your Advent Season Holy Part I

by Elizabeth Ficocelli

Living as a Redeemed People in a Broken World 2016

Living as a Redeemed People in a Broken World

by Scott Powell

 

Six Ways to Keep Your Advent Season Holy, Part II

Six Ways to Keep Your Advent Season Holy, Part II

by Elizabeth Ficocelli

The Lifelong Journey of Holiness 2016

The Lifelong Journey of Holiness

by Constance Hull

The Strange Way God Heals Our Sufferings 2016

The Strange Way God Heals Our Sufferings

by Constance Hull

St. John Paul II and the Holy Eucharist

St. John Paul II and the Holy Eucharist

by Constance Hull

What the 'Our Father' Teaches Us About Prayer

What the ‘Our Father’ Teaches Us About Prayer

by Stephen Beale

St. Therese Teaches Us to Live Simply in Great Love

St. Therese Teaches Us to Live Simply in Great Love

by Constance Hull

Jesus and the Call of Discipleship

Jesus and the Call of Discipleship

by Scott Powell

Why We Celebrate So Many Martyrs at Christmas

Why We Celebrate So Many Martyrs at Christmas

by Stephen Beale

St. Ignatius of Loyola's Process of Reflecting on the Gospels

St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Process of Reflecting on the Gospels

by Fr. Anthony Co

Was it Not Necessary? The Story of the Road to Emmaus

Was it Not Necessary? The Story of the Road to Emmaus

by Scott Powell

Isaiah, the Prophet of Christmas

Isaiah, the Prophet of Christmas

by Stephen Beale

Keeping it Real During Advent

Keeping it Real During Advent

by Sarah Reinhard

Exclamatory Prayer

Exclamatory Prayer

by Stephen Beale

Tuning in to the Thought Frequency of God

Tuning in to the Thought Frequency of God

by Fr. Anthony Co

Destined for Love

Destined for Love

by Fr. Anthony Co

Why Join the Pray More Retreat?

Learn how to have a holy, prayerful and peaceful Advent season.

Reflect on God’s mercy and love for us as He comes to live among us.

Learn to love the sacraments and live a life inspired by the saints.

Deepen your faith and pray more this Advent season from the comfort of your own home!

Renew your hope as you wait for God’s answers to your prayers.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Scott Powell is a teacher, theologian and author. He is the director of the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought, an outreach to the University of Colorado Boulder, and is also an affiliate of the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, Thought and Policy at the University of Colorado. He has taught at the Augustine Institute and the Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary’s Catholic Biblical School. He and his wife, Annie, founded Camp Wojtyla, a Catholic outdoor adventure program for youth based in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Scott also co-hosts and produces the popular podcast “The Word on the Hill with the Lanky Guys” and has appeared in numerous Catholic productions, including “Symbolon,” “Beloved,” “Reborn,” “YDisciple” and the “Opening the Word” series. He has been featured on EWTN, “Catholic Answers Live” and several other Catholic outlets. He holds a doctorate in Catholic Studies from Maryvale Institute/Liverpool Hope University in England. Scott is also the author of “An Environmental Ethic for the End of the World: An Ecological Midrash on Romans 8:19 – 22,” recently published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Scott and his wife live near Boulder, Colorado with their three children: Lily Avila, Samuel Isaac and Evelyn Luca.

Elizabeth Ficocelli Photo

Elizabeth Ficocelli is a best-selling, award-winning author of fifteen books for adults and young people and a contributor to national Catholic magazines.

She is a frequent guest on Catholic television and radio and the host of her own radio program, “Answering The Call” on St. Gabriel Catholic Radio AM 820. A sought-after speaker, Elizabeth presents at national Catholic conferences, catechetical events, parishes, schools, and retreats, sharing her love and enthusiasm for the Catholic faith with audiences of all ages. She and her husband of 31 years have four boys and reside in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, please visit www.elizabethficocelli.com.

Constance T. Hull is a freelance writer, graduate student theologian, homeschooling mom, and active member of pro-life and miscarriage ministry. She has been published by Catholic Exchange, The Federalist, and Public Discourse. She has also been a guest on Teresa Tomeo’s and Al Kresta’s radio programs. She is passionate about all things Catholic.

Father Anthony Co grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago. While completing his studies of philosophy and Eastern religions at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Fr. Anthony received his calling to the priesthood. Immediately after graduating from U of I, Fr. Anthony entered Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary and for the next five years he prepared for Holy Orders for the Diocese of Peoria, IL. He was ordained to the priesthood at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in 2005 and offered his Mass of Thanksgiving on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Father Anthony has served throughout the Diocese of Peoria, ministering to college students and various parishes. He is now pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Andalusia and a college chaplain.  

Sarah Reinhard is a Catholic wife, mom, writer, parish worker and catechist, and coffee drinker. You’re just as likely to find her hiding out back with a book as you are to discover her playing in the yard with a few farm animals (or wait — are those her kids?) She is the author of many books, the most recent of which is The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion. She’s online at SnoringScholar.com and writes online at the National Catholic Register, CatholicMom.com, and the Integrated Catholic Life. Reinhard holds a master’s degree in marketing and communications and has worked for many years in corporate and nonprofit organizations. She lives in central Ohio with her husband and four children.

Stephen Beale is a freelance writer and reporter based in Providence, Rhode Island. Raised as an evangelical Protestant, he is a convert to Catholicism. He writes a weekly column for CatholicExchange and also is a regular contributor to the National Catholic Register and Crisis magazine. He holds a B.A. in classics and history from Brown University. He also has completed the coursework towards an MA in theology at Providence College, where he has focused on the thought and spirituality of the early Church Fathers.

Contact Us:

If you have any questions about the Pray More Retreat, you can e-mail us at:

John-Paul & Annie, PrayMoreNovenas.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Please put “Pray More Retreat” as your e-mail subject.