2024 Advent Retreat
The Pray More Advent Retreat
Inspiring talks to help you prepare for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ at Christmas.
Advent Retreat Speakers
Sarah Christmyer
Dr. Andrew Swafford
Claire Dwyer
The Retreat begins December 2nd!
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 2024 Advent Retreat
TOPICS
How to Listen for the Voice of God
by Dr. Andrew Swafford
Lift Up Your Heart, Listen: Praying with Scripture Part 1
by Sarah Christmyer
The Faithfulness of God
by Dr. Andrew Swafford
Seasons of Waiting: Living with Hope
by Dr. Andrew Swafford
The Magnificat
by Claire Dwyer
God the Father
by Claire Dwyer
The Gift of the Magi
By Dr. Andrew Swafford
Prepare Your Soul, Repent: Praying with Scripture, Part 2
by Sarah Christmyer
The Lord is Near, Rejoice: Praying with Scripture Part 3
by Sarah Christmyer
Turn Your Face to Him, Believe: Praying with Scripture, Part 4
by Sarah Christmyer
Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo and the Sacrament of the Present Moment, Part 1
by Claire Dwyer
Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo and the Sacrament of the Present Moment, Part 2
by Claire Dwyer
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 12 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 December 2nd 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
Dr. Andrew Swafford is Professor of Theology at Benedictine College. He is a national speaker and co-author of Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships, A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament, and What We Believe: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith. He is also general editor and contributor to Ascension’s Great Adventure Catholic Bible. Among his other publications are Ascension’s Bible studies on Romans and Hebrews, Spiritual Survival in the Modern World, and John Paul II to Aristotle and Back Again. Andrew holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake and a master’s degree in Old Testament & Semitic Languages from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is an avid student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and lives with his wife Sarah and their six children in Atchison, Kansas. You can find more information about Andrew at theswaffords.com or on X @andrew_swafford.
Claire Dwyer has a heart for the storyteller in all of us. She is a speaker, writer, writing coach, and author of This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. Claire is also privileged to work as copywriter and content editor for the Avila Foundation, primarily on their website SpiritualDirection.com . She has a BA in Theology from Franciscan University, a graduate certification in Spiritual Theology from the Avila Institute, and is in the MA program for Spiritual Direction at St. Vincent’s Seminary. Claire is also the co-founder and content director of Write These Words, a place for Catholic writers to find inspiration and information about the craft of writing and the world of publishing. A wife and mom of six, Claire spends most of her precious free time engrossed in one of the many books teetering in tall stacks on her nightstand. She invites you to find out more at eventhesparrow.com and to sign up to follow her there for upcoming live and online events and courses, podcast guest episodes, and her latest writing projects—or connect with her on her Instagram page.
Sarah Christmyer is a Catholic author, Bible teacher, and speaker with a special love for lectio divina and journaling as ways to draw close to Christ in Scripture. She is general editor of the Living the Word Catholic Women’s Bible from Ave Maria Press, as well as the co-developer and founding editor of The Great Adventure Catholic Bible study program and author or co-author of more than a dozen books and Bible studies. Her book Becoming Women of the Word pairs lessons from women of the Old Testament with women she has known to explore “How to Answer God’s Call with Purpose and Joy.” Sarah serves as an adjunct faculty member at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. She blogs at ComeIntoTheWord.com.
What You Get When You Sign Up:
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+ You’ll receive an email on December 2nd with all the retreat materials, which includes: 12 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.
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