The Pray More Advent Retreat
Inspiring talks to help you prepare for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ at Christmas.
Advent Retreat Speakers
Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt
Deanna Bartalini
John Kinuthia
Mallory Smyth
The Retreat begins December 4th!
The Retreat is self-paced.
This means that you can participate wherever you are and whenever you have the time.
It’s like a do-it-yourself retreat, but you’re not doing alone — we’re doing it with you! We hope you’ll join us.
Preview the 2023 Advent Retreat
TOPICS
How to Listen in Prayer & Know When God is Speaking
by Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt
Waiting on God’s Promises with Confidence
by Mallory Smyth
Mary’s Fiat and How We Can Offer Our Own
by Deanna Bartalini
Learning from the Life & Faith of St. Joseph
by John Kinuthia
Following Christ this Christmas & New Year
By Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt
Living Through Seasons of Waiting
by Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt
Growing in Trust in the Lord
by Deanna Bartalini
Developing a Habit of Prayer
by Deanna Bartalini
God can Do Great Things with Our Smallest Offerings
by Mallory Smyth
Finding Joy in the Season of Advent
by John Kinuthia
The Significance of God Becoming Man
by John Kinuthia
Let Every Part of the Holiday Season Raise Your Mind to Heaven
by Mallory Smyth
A Reflection on the Nativity and Incarnation of Christ
by Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt
Beholding the Mystery: Who He is and Who We Are
by Mallory Smyth
Every talk comes with a Transcript, Study Guide,
and Downloadable Audio and Video (with Closed Captioning too)
You can watch, listen or read through the talks however you’d like best!
You can do this your own or with a group!
“There were many personal moments in which the speakers touched my heart and brought me closer to God’s love.”
“All the speakers were wonderful and it felt like they were speaking directly to me. I did not want it to end!”
“Wonderful talks! Great concept! Easy access!!!”
— Why join the Pray More Advent Retreat? —
Learn how to have a holy, prayerful and transforming Advent.
Slow down during this busy season and reflect on your relationship with Jesus, and grow closer to Him through prayer.
Become more intentional with your prayer life.
Reflect on what God is asking of you to wait for this Advent. What does He have in store for you? How are you responding to Him?
Renew your hope as you wait expectantly & joyfully for God to work in your life and to answer your prayers.
Deepen your faith and pray more this Advent season from the comfort of your own home!
The Pray More Retreat Begins on December 4th!
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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 14 different talks on prayer, the season of Advent, and how to live out our faith during this season. That’s about 4 talks for each week of Advent, and we’ll send you an e-mail with those talks every week. Each of those talks will also come with a printable study guide that has reflective questions 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, all the presentations will be sent to your email on November 28th 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 Advent Retreat?
Learn how to have a holy, prayerful and transforming Advent.
Renew your hope as you wait expectantly & joyfully for God to work in your life and to answer your prayers.
Slow down during this busy season and reflect on your relationship with Jesus, and grow closer to Him through prayer.
Deepen your faith and pray more from the comfort of your own home or while you’re on the go!
SPEAKERS
Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt was born and raised in Hays, Kansas and graduated from Thomas More Prep/Marian High School. He then attended Kansas State University where he received a degree in secondary education. Fr. Gale spent nine years in Manhattan, KS at Msgr. Luckey Jr. High School as a history teacher and football, basketball, and track coach.
From 2005-2012, Fr. Gale studied at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, CO. In 2012, Fr. Gale was ordained a priest and is currently the pastor of St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. Prior to this assignment, he served as a priest in Junction City, KS, and at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina, KS. Fr. Gale has served as a high school chaplain and vocation director for the Diocese of Salina. He is also the founder of the Prayer and Action summer mission program that has now spread to numerous dioceses throughout the country.
You can find Fr. Gale: on his Facebook page, Instagram, and through his Church’s website.
Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed.; M.P.A., is a certified spiritual director, speaker, and writer. She has served in parish ministry as a religious education director, youth minister, liturgical coordinator, and stewardship director.
Deanna has been married to Deacon John for 40 years and they are blessed with four grandchildren. She is the founder of LiveNotLukewarm.com. Her Not Lukewarm Podcast gives you tips and tools to live out your faith in your daily life.
She writes for CatholicMom.com, Diocesan.com, Women in the New Evangelization (WINE) and AmazingCatechists.com. Deanna wrote a bible study, The Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women, Invite the Holy Spirit into your Life, contributed to the Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion, and Digital Ministry and Leadership in Today’s Church.
You can find Deanna: through her website, on her Facebook page, and Instagram.
John Kinuthia is a Catholic Speaker who grew up in Kenya, with his parents and 6 siblings. John is passionate about sharing the Joy of Christ and telling the story of what God has done in his life. His inspiring and engaging talks are filled with stories from his home country and wisdom learned from his mother and grandfather. John conveys a message of awakening and becoming the saint you’re called to be, cultivating a deeper personal relationship with Jesus, and sharing the Joy of Christ.
John and his wife Katie live in Philadelphia with their 4 children. He loves reading the wisdom of the saints, hiking with his family, and playing and coaching volleyball.
Learn more about John at www.JohnKinuthia.com
You can also find him: on his Facebook page, Instagram, and Linkedin.
Mallory Smyth is a national speaker, writer, and content creator for Walking with Purpose. She is the author of the book Rekindled, and has also written the WWP Bible Studies, Reclaiming Friendship, and Rooted and Radiant.
Mallory has been in full time ministry for the past 11 years. She joined Walking with Purpose out of a deep desire to help women come to know Christ personally through the transforming power of His word. Having worked with college students as a FOCUS missionary, and now in women’s ministry, it is her dream to see Catholics fall deeply in love with God and grab hold of the joy offered in the Gospel.
Mallory lives in Denver with her husband, Jared, and their four daughters.
You can learn more about Mallory at www.mallory-smyth.com
What You Get When You Sign Up:
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+ You’ll receive an email on December 4th with all the retreat materials, which includes: 14 video talks that each come with a reflective study guide, transcript (and closed captions).
+ You can watch, listen, or read through the talks whenever you have the time.
+ We’ll share with you a recommended schedule of which talks to watch or listen to each week of Advent, but you can work through the materials however you would like!
“There were many personal moments in which the speakers touched my heart and brought me closer to God’s love.”
“All the speakers were wonderful and it felt like they were speaking directly to me. I did not want it to end!”
“Wonderful talks! Great concept! Easy access!!!”
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.