In the midst of full calendars, urgent needs, and the steady movement of daily life, we all long for moments to breathe and to remember what matters most.

Rooted in the Sisters of Charity vision to share our faith and resources, the Sisters of Charity Spirituality Center provides opportunities to deepen faith, strengthen community, respond to the needs of our time, and heighten awareness of Gospel values — all within a holistic approach that honors body, mind, and spirit.

Throughout the year, the Spirituality Center offers opportunities for:

• Single-day programs and seasonal reflections
• Evening series and book discussions
• Weekend and weeklong retreats
• Directed retreats
• Ongoing contemplative prayer experiences
• Individual spiritual direction

Whether you are seeking quiet renewal, deeper understanding, creative expression, contemplative practice, or companionship on your spiritual journey, there is a place for you here.

We also welcome outside groups who wish to host their own programs within the peaceful setting of the Motherhouse grounds.

As you browse the offerings that follow, we invite you to consider: Where is God inviting you to pause this year? What within you is longing for attention, healing, or growth?

We look forward to welcoming you.

S. Teresa Marie Laengle, SC

Join us for an inspiring afternoon of reflection as Jeanne Hunt explores the powerful presence and witness of Mary Magdalene in the Easter Scriptures.

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Location: Cedars Auditorium, Motherhouse

Fee: $15; there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend.

Registration: click here

Send payment: click here

Vernal Equinox 
March 20 (Cedars Auditorium)

Join us in a mindful exploration of balance and fresh beginnings. Together we will honor the approaching Solar New Year and the life-giving energy of spring.

Summer Solstice 
June 20 (Regina Hall)

We will honor the warming sun as we celebrate the longest day of the year and welcome the first day of summer.

Autumnal Equinox
Sept. 22 (Cedars Auditorium)

We return to the quiet invitation of balance, shedding what no longer serves us. Together we will honor the first day of fall and turn toward the gift of change.

Winter Solstice
Dec. 21 (Cedars Auditorium)

What can be discovered in the darkness? As the cold stillness beckons, we will explore the gifts of winter while honoring the longest night of the year.

Presenter: Jen Straw

Dates: March 20, June 20, Sept. 22, Dec. 21

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Location: Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati

Fee: $40 per session; there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend.

Register: click here

Send payment: click here

Pillar by pillar, you will be invited into reflection and contemplative practice to explore what forms the foundation of a joyful life – body, mind and spirit. Inspired by the teachings of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in “The Book of Joy,” this retreat offers space to pause, deepen awareness and intentionally cultivate lasting joy.

Presenter: Jen Straw

Dates: April 10-12, 2026

Location: Sisters of Charity Spirituality Center

Fee: $350; $275 for commuters; there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend.

Register: click here

Send payment: click here

On May 2, people around the world will unite at 1 p.m. to walk the labyrinth as a prayer for peace. Because of the many time zones, this shared intention will create 24 continuous hours of walking prayer encircling the globe. You are invited to join us in walking the labyrinth on the grounds of the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse. Following the walk, those who wish are welcome to remain for about 15 minutes to gently share reflections from the experience.

Led by: S. Donna Steffen and Associate Moe Nieman

Dates: Saturday, May 2, 2026

Time: 1 p.m.; we will gather for a brief introduction at 12:45 p.m.

Location: Labyrinth, Motherhouse

Fee: No registration is necessary; a free will offering is appreciated.

Join us for the peaceful and creative experience of SoulCollage®, a simple collage-making process that helps you listen more deeply to your inner wisdom. Using images from magazines, you will create a small collage card that reflects something stirring in your life – a feeling, question, hope, or insight that is asking to be noticed. No artistic experience is needed. After creating your card, you will be guided through a gentle process of “listening” to the card — discovering what it might be saying to you and how it connects to your life. You’ll also learn how these cards can become part of a personal deck for reflection and prayer. There will be time for additional card-making, quiet reflection, and optional sharing in a closing circle. Come relax, create, and reconnect with yourself in a supportive community.

Presenter: Jen Straw

Date: May 16, Sept. 19, 2026

Time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Location: Cedars Auditorium, Sisters of Charity Motherhouse

Fee: $75; there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend. Cost includes eight cards/sleeves plus all imagery and supplies.

Register: click here

Send payment: click here

This retreat invites participants into a prayerful reflection on “God’s desire for human friendship.” Together, we will ponder the loving work of God in creation, His covenantal choice of Israel, and His faithful action throughout history, culminating in the Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we contemplate God’s constant pursuit of human relationship, we come to recognize that the only fitting response is through growth in friendship, both human and divine, as is exemplified by the disciples and the encouragement of the saints within the life of the Church.

Director: Fr. Ed Ruane, OP

Dates: June 14-20, 2026

Location: Sisters of Charity Spirituality Center

Fee: $600; $500 for commuters; there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend.

Register: click here

Send payment: click here

Fr. Ed Ruane, O.P., is a Dominican friar of the Chicago Province of St. Albert the Great. Over the course of his long and dedicated life, he has served as a college and seminary professor, preached retreats and parish missions, and taken on leadership roles within his province and order. He has also served as a parish pastor. Currently, he is a member of the Province Formation Council and teaches pastoral theology.

Participants meet daily with a trained spiritual director to share and reflect on the movement of the Spirit in their lives. The days are primarily spent in quiet prayer, personal reflection, and one-on-one conversation with a spiritual director. These retreats create intentional space for deep listening and introspection, offering spiritual, emotional, and even physical rest and renewal.

June Directors: S. Dorothy Schuette, OSB, Mary Ann Hegner, and Jen Straw

Dates: Sunday, June 14-Saturday, June 20, 2026

Location: Sisters of Charity Motherhouse

Fee: $600; $500 for commuters; there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend.

Register: click here

Send payment: click here

S. Dorothy Schuette, OSB, is a Benedictine sister who entered the monastery shortly after graduating from high school. She earned a Master of Arts in Religion from Fordham University, preparing her to serve as director of religious education and pastoral associate at Mother of God Parish in Covington, Kentucky. During that time, she was actively involved in social justice and jail ministries. About 25 years ago, she received a certificate in spiritual direction from Creighton University. Since 2016, she has offered spiritual direction during retreat opportunities at St. Walburg Monastery, the Jesuit Spiritual Center, and several other religious communities.

Mary Ann Hegner currently serves as a spiritual director in the Cincinnati area. She feels strongly called to meet people where they are as they discern God’s movement in their lives. Deep listening and compassion are among the gifts she brings to her ministry. Mary Ann earned her master’s degree in religious studies from the College of Mount St. Joseph and is a board-certified Catholic chaplain. Her most cherished roles are those of mother and grandmother.

Jen Straw began her ministry in interfaith retreat work and spiritual direction. She has expanded her studies to include massage and energy therapy, sacred astrology, SoulCollage®, and the Enneagram. Jen is passionate about creating opportunities for those who seek the sacred in their lives. A lifelong seeker who has facilitated more than 100 retreats, she brings wisdom, compassion, and creativity to both individual and group spiritual direction. Jen has witnessed how much growth can blossom from a willingness to gently explore unexpected places, ultimately honoring the sacred in each moment.

Through high-resolution digital photographs of the Holy Land – the landscapes that inspired the psalmist’s poetic imagination – we will explore the spiritual lessons found in the Book of Psalms and what these prayers can teach us about resilience. Together we will consider both the Psalter’s intentional arrangement and the wide range of genres that compose it. As we reflect on the Book of Psalms as a map for our own life’s journey, we will trace the Psalter’s zigzag movements – from lament to wisdom, from complaint and even curse – until all resolves in rising, joyful crescendos of gratitude and full-hearted praise. 

Director: S. Lisa Marie Belz, OSU

Dates: Aug. 9-15, 2026

Location: Sisters of Charity Spirituality Center

Fee: $600 (overnight); $500 (commuter); there is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend.
Registration: click here

Send payment: click here

S. Lisa Marie Belz, an Ursuline Sister of Cleveland, is a Scripture professor at John Carroll University. A sought-after speaker and lecturer, S. Lisa Marie offers retreats, parish missions, talks and conferences locally, nationally, and internationally on Scripture, Christian spirituality, and early Christianity. She holds a Ph.D. in Theology (Scripture) from Loyola University Chicago, a Master of Theological Studies (Scripture) from the University of Notre Dame, and a master's in Pastoral Ministry (Hispanic Ministry) from Boston College. A former missionary who served on the Cleveland Latin American Mission Team in El Salvador, S. Lisa Marie brings the lived experience of the developing world to her ministry as an educator, retreat director, speaker and writer.  

August Directors: S. Thérèse Del Genio, SNDdeN, Nicki Verploegen, Ph.D., and S. Theresa Betz, SND

Dates: Aug. 9-15, 2026

Location: Sisters of Charity Motherhouse

Fee: $600 (overnight); $500 (commuter). There is no cost for Sisters of Charity to attend. A $125 non-refundable registration fee is due at the time of registration (applied to total cost).

Register: click here.

Send payment: click here



Thérèse Del Genio, SNDdeN, is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur whose ministries have spanned education, pastoral service and leadership. She has taught elementary school, served as a pastoral associate, and was director of field education at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She also founded and directed a shelter for people experiencing homelessness and served as national director of canonical novices for her congregation. Sister Thérèse is a retreat and spiritual director, addictions counselor, workshop presenter and author. She currently provides pastoral support to hospitalized individuals experiencing homelessness as they transition to Respite Care and connects families and individuals in the Western Hills area with needed resources.

Nicki Verploegen, Ph.D., has been engaged in spirituality ministry for more than 40 years. She has supported numerous religious communities, including the Jesuits, Franciscans, Redemptorists and Maryknoll Missionaries. She also ministered in the Philippines with the Christian Brothers de La Salle, accompanying both laity and brothers in spiritual companionship. In addition to offering retreats and spiritual direction for four decades, Nicki has served in liturgical ministry as a dancer, cantor and parish planner. She is the author of four books, available through Wipf and Stock (Eugene, Oregon).

Sister Theresa Betz, SND, is a Sister of Notre Dame from the Chardon region of the U.S. Province. She has taught Christian spirituality to permanent deacon candidates and their wives in the dioceses of St. Petersburg, Florida, and Cleveland, Ohio. For many years she served in Florida parishes, offering adult spiritual formation, guiding groups through the Spiritual Exercises and providing spiritual direction. She earned a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality and certification in spiritual and retreat direction from Creighton University in 1990. Sister Theresa has offered retreats and spiritual direction in Virginia, Florida, Ohio, the Philippines and Kenya. Her approach to spiritual direction emphasizes helping individuals recognize God’s presence in daily life and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Sacred Pause is an electronic newsletter of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Spirituality Center. To join the Sacred Pause mailing list, contact Erin Reder at erin.reder@srcharitycinti.org. To unsubscribe, click here.