NATURE

MEN’S OUTDOOR RETREAT
OCTOBER 10-13, 2025

Beyond These Four Walls—Experiencing God in the Books of Scripture and Nature
Topic: Digital detox; Lectio divina; Wilderness; Journey

Brother Gilbert Heater, O.S.B., and Father Shawn Matthew Anderson, O.S.B.

Retreat Description:

In our modern world, it is all too easy to be distracted and disconnected from the reality of God’s presence in our hearts, in others, and in the world around us. This four-day retreat amid the natural beauty of Raccoon Creek State Park invites you into the incarnational wonder of God’s love and the profoundly human way in which he encounters us in body, mind, and soul. Our fellowship will be centered around outdoor recreation, small group sharing, liturgy, and lectio divina, an ancient practice of reading and reflecting on Scripture. Free from the disturbance of technology and hectic agendas, this time of holy leisure will provide an opportunity to receive the graces of contemplation and experience the gifts of God’s creation at Raccoon Creek State Park.

Retreat Masters:

Father Shawn Matthew Anderson, O.S.B., has been a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey for more than 20 years. Holding a doctor of pharmacology degree, he is an associate professor of biology at Saint Vincent College, a priest for more than 15 years, and also serves as director of the Retreat Program.

Brother Gilbert Heater, O.S.B.,  has been a member of the monastic community at Saint Vincent for six years. Currently a student at Saint Vincent Seminary, he has served as socius of novices and postulants for the monastic community, sacristan and assistant master of ceremonies. He is presently a deacon serving his diaconate year at Saint Vincent Basilica Parish, Latrobe. By the time of this retreat, God willing, he will be ordained to the priesthood.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: 

Schedule: Retreatants will meet between 3 and 5 p.m. and Raccoon Creek State Park on Thursday, October 10, at a location to be sent out upon registration for this retreat.

Fee: $290

Check-In: Between 3 to 5 p.m.

Other Information: Raccoon Creek State Park is a 7,572-acre Pennsylvania state park on Raccoon Creek in Hanover and Independence townships in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The park is about 30 miles from the city of Pittsburgh, near Hookstown. The park address is 3000 PA-18, Hookstown, PA 15050.

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