Beloved Catholic Women's Retreat

All women aged 19+ are invited to attend this year's 7th Beloved Catholic Women's Retreat, held on Quadra Island at Camp Homewood November 15-17, 2024. The theme, AGAPE, will show us how deeply God loves us; sacrificially, and unconditionally.
"Love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" John `15:12-13
Come for a weekend of rest and relaxation with our Keynote Speaker, Sarah Kaczmarek, our chaplain Fr Chrysostom Mijinke. O.P., and 100 beautiful daughters of God from around the Diocese of Victoria and the mainland.
Registration fees include 2 nights' accommodation in dorm-style rooms, meals, and retreat activities such as daily Mass, Reconciliation, Adoration, praise and worship, prayer ministry, 24-hour Adoration chapel, speaker sessions, free-time with canoeing, kayaking, and hiking available and more!
One of the benefits of a women's retreat is taking the time for you to spend time alone with God, so we ask that you leave the kids at home, except for babies under 1 year, they are most welcome.
When praying and discerning this year's retreat, we reflected on God's agape love for us and how He asks for the same in return (John 21:15-17). We found ourselves drawn to the image of Aslan, a character in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series. Aslan, the Lion, represents our Lord. He is good, beautiful, and true. He is fierce and protective, yet also loving, meek, and gentle. He is both a King and a friend. The Chronicles of Narnia are allegorical novels that beautifully depict the deep, sacrificial love of God. Our retreat theme this year will incorporate elements from C.S. Lewis's book "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," so we encourage you to read it in the coming months to prepare yourself.
Many thanks to the Diocese of Victoria for their continuous support of the Beloved Women's Retreat.

Friday, November 15, 2024

• 3:00pm: Registration begins (if you are arriving after 9pm please let us know)
• 5:30pm: Dinner
• 6:30pm: First Presentation Begins

Saturday, November 16, 2024

• Mass, Sessions & Free-time, Adoration

Sunday, November 17, 2024

• 9:00am: Mass
• 10:30am: Brunch

* full schedule available at retreat

• Rain Gear (Jacket, boots, umbrella)
• Towel & Toiletries
• Clothing & Shoes
• Bedding: pillow, sheets, blankets (Sleeping bags). Each room is heated but bring extra blankets if you get cold easily
• Flashlight (for walking back to your room at night)

Optional

• Slippers
• Water bottle and Snacks
• Rosary
• Bible
• Notebook & Pen
• Hand Sanitizer
• *No alcohol allowed.

Sleeping Accommodation is CAMP Style!  Please anticipate bunk beds, foam mattresses, and dorm rooms that accommodate up to 10 women. Camp Homewood has rooms throughout their property, including the main building ( where the sessions and meals will be happening) and others a short walk away. 

The majority of beds are bunk beds with foam pads. You are welcome to bring extra padding for the beds. No bedding is provided. Bring sheets, blankets (ie. sleeping bag), and a pillow. The beds are of different sizes: single-size foam pads, double and queen beds.

Please share your accommodation requests during the registration process. Especially those with mobility needs, or if you are bringing a baby under 1 year old.

You are welcome to request the following:

• Bottom bunk- for those with mobility needs.
• Roommates: No guarantees, but please let us know who you’d like to bunk with and if you are comfortable sharing a queen-sized bed with a specific person.

We try our best to accommodate specific requests but cannot guarantee all requests can be accommodated.

A small number of private rooms are available for mothers of infants and those with special requests. These rooms are a short walk from the main building and are not suitable for those with mobility issues. You are welcome to request a private room, but note they are not guaranteed. Please come expecting shared accommodation.

Please check the box and include your t-shirt size 

An extra $25 will be added to your total

Financial assistance is available for those who otherwise could not attend the retreat without it. Funds are quite limited and requests are to be made before registering for the retreat via email.

• Contributing funds to help another lady attend.
• Help Spread the Word! Invite a friend.
• Volunteering: Set up and Clean up
• Pray for us! Please keep us in your prayers as we plan for this year's retreat.

Sarah is the Director of Pastoral Ministry at Encounter Ministries and the Director of the Encounter School of Ministry. She holds an MA in counseling and has served in ministry for 20 years. Before her time at Encounter, she served in a parish as the director of evangelization and youth ministry and was the Associate Director of Alpha Catholic.  Her deepest desire is for everyone to know the love of the Father and walk in the holiness and wholeness Jesus paid for. Sarah recently returned from speaking at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

Fr. Chrysostom Mijinke O.P. was ordained as a Priest of the Dominican Order of Friars Preachers in June 2021 and is currently serving as Director of Frassati: Seattle Catholic Young Adults and as Assistant Director of the Catholic Newman Center at the University of Washington.

He received his undergraduate from the Seminary in Mission, BC in 2013, and MA in Philosophy and MDiv from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (Berkeley, California), in 2018 and 2021 respectively. Fr. Chrysostom encountered God as a teenager in a deep and personal way that he never knew was possible, and now wishes to foster this in others. His name means “golden mouth” after St. John Chrysostom, due to his zeal for preaching with conviction, love, and logic.

Camp Homewood is located on Quadra Island. It is a short ferry ride from Campbell River. BC Ferries have added an extra ferry to the route offering additional sailing times. The ferry schedule can be found online at:https://www.bcferries.com/routes-fares/schedules/daily/CAM-QDR

Reservations are not available for this ferry and please note that the registration fee doesn’t include ferry transportation. We recommend carpooling to save money and space on the ferry- and it’s much more fun!

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Camp Homewood, 1291 West Road, Heriot Bay, Canada