Welcome to the Southeastern Regional Retreat 2023

April 20-23, 2023

Christ in Me

“I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Location: Visitation Monastery

2300 Spring Hill Avenue

Mobile, Alabama 36607-3202

Registration is open and we are thrilled to invite you to open your hearts to the saints as we embark as sisters in Christ on this journey to embrace our sainthood.

As Father John Ricardo says, “The real heroes, the real celebrities are the saints. They are the only ones worth imitating.”

As we gather together, we invite you to take time to reflect and renew yourself in this beautiful retreat we have planned for you. We encourage you to immerse yourself in the beauty of our Catholic faith with the talks, prayers, and devotions offered throughout this retreat.

Your Sisters in Christ,

Paula Schemmel Moyer, Jessica Atwell, Cristina Bezama

MCCW Southeastern Region Team

Retreat Location Description

Visitation Monastery, founded in Mobile, Alabama in 1833, is a cloistered community, the monastery also serves as a distribution center for the communion breads used by churches throughout the Mobile Archdiocese and for many churches in surrounding states.

Visitation Monastery - outside Visitation Monastery - Inside

Keynote Guest Speaker

We are excited to welcome Maria Johnson, author of My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halos, Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love. Find out more about our guest speaker at her website. Check out Ms. Johnson’s podcast on Spotify.

Maria Johnson Headshot

Logistics

Check-In Time: 2:30 PM

Check-Out Time: 10:00 AM

Cost

Room/Board rates vary by type. Each rate includes all meals (beginning with dinner on Apr 20 & concluding with breakfast on Apr 23), as well as coffee/tea breaks.

Single Occupancy Room – 3 Nights – $295.00

Double Room (Shared Room – 2 Person Occupancy) – 3 Nights – $220.00 per person

Day-Tripper Price – No Room – Includes Meals – 4 Days – $180.00

Recommended Packing List

Recommend packing your typical weekend bag of clothes, personal hygiene items, medications, etc. Also bring Bible, journal, Rosary, spending money for gifts and Silent Auction Fundraiser. Linens and towels will be provided by the retreat center. If bringing a breastfeeding child, you will need to bring your own pack and play.

The deadline to purchase tickets is 1 April 2023. To purchase tickets after 1 April 2023, the MCCW Southeast Coordinator will need to consult the retreat center for availability.

Southeaster Regional Retreat with wreath

All registrations must be completed on Eventbrite. All sales will close on April 1, 2023. Space is limited. We highly encourage you to register as soon as possible. Note: You will be selecting one ticket that includes both registration & room/board (or daytripper) fees.  Be sure to select the correct ticket.

If you are a female, 18 and older, AND affiliated with the military (all branches-active, guard, reserve, dependent, retired, DoDEA, contractor) – we would be honored to have you attend this retreat!

Please note: You do not need to be a leader in your community, involved in a CWOC or even Catholic – just respectful and open to learning. We have women who attend from installations where there is not an active CWOC and we would be happy to have you!

We are hoping for representation from across the Southeastern region!

We highly encourage you to “retreat” and spend your time for four days at the retreat center.

As we realize this time frame and the overnight option is not possible for everyone, we have included a day-tripper price for those who cannot spend the night. The day-tripper price includes meals during the retreat, but not lodging.

Room/Board rates vary by type. Each rate includes all meals (beginning with dinner on Nov. 7th & concluding with breakfast on Nov. 10th), as well as coffee/tea breaks: 100 rooms total.

Single Occupancy Room – 3 Nights – $220.00

Double Room (Shared Room – 2 Person Occupancy) – 3 Nights – $295.00 per person

Day-Tripper Price – No Room – Includes Meals – 4 Days – $180.00

Note: ALL payments will be by Eventbrite or check. NO PAYPAL.

Indicate on your registration if you have any food allergies.

Please review all retreat ticket options thoroughly before choosing and purchasing your ticket. Ticket purchases may be exchanged on a case-by-case basis and based on availability.

The deadline to purchase tickets is 1 April 2023. To purchase tickets after 1 April 2023, the MCCW Southeast Coordinator will need to consult the retreat center for availability.

NOTE – PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR CHAPEL WILL FUND YOUR RETREAT BEFORE YOU PROCESS A PERSONAL PAYMENT. IF ANY PORTION OF YOUR REGISTRATION WILL BE PAID WITH CHAPEL FUNDS, PLEASE CHECK THE “INVOICE” PAYMENT OPTION. NO REFUNDS TO PERSONAL CREDIT CARDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN PROCESSED.

When completing online registration make one of the following payment selections:

  • Choose ONLINE at Eventbrite via CC (Small Fee)
  • Choose MAIL-IN then mail a check and notate it with “Southeastern Retreat” in the memo line
    MCCW
    PO Box 85
    Alpha, OH 45301
  • Choose “INVOICE” if your CHAPEL is paying any or all of the registration or lodging. If your Chapel is paying, the POC needs to email the MCCW Financial Manager finance@mccw.org and registrar@mccw.org to advise the following and receive an invoice:
      • Chapel Name (Base/Post)
      • POC: Parish Coordinator and/or CWOC President (Please include emails and or phone numbers.)
      • Names (& contact info) of registrants receiving a subsidy
      • Amount of subsidy per person being paid
      • An invoice with instructions on how to make payment will be provided once we receive your email with the information.
      • ALL payments will be by Eventbrite or check. NO PAYPAL.

Each room provides two twin size beds, with communal restroom and showers down the hall. Linens and towels will be provided by the retreat center.

We recommend packing your typical weekend bag of clothes, personal hygiene items, medications, etc. Also bring Bible, journal, Rosary, spending money for gifts and Silent Auction Fundraiser.

If bringing a breastfeeding child, you will need to bring your own pack and play.

A cloistered community, the monastery also serves as a distribution center for the communion breads used by churches throughout the Mobile Archdiocese and for many churches in surrounding states.

Please visit their website to learn more.

Pinpointed on the map, the retreat location is located in the area that intersects Interstate 10 (E-W) and Interstate 65 (N-S).

Mobile Regional Airport supports Delta, American, and United with travel through major hubs as Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.

Montgomery Regional Airport is approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive from Mobile, but they host more airline options, utilizing the same large airline hubs.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Visitation+Monastery/@30.6939754,-88.0926331,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x889a4dfe833579ef:0xbc849c4b280fe9d3!8m2!3d30.6933938!4d-88.092902?hl=en-US

Because this is a Cloistered Community, it is recommended only nursing children attend with mothers.

Please be sure to pack your own pack-‘n-play if you are bringing a nursing infant.

Meals include one dinner meal on Thursday, three meals on Friday and Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. There is also a bagged lunch planned for the Sunday take-down. There is also a wine and snack no-host social planned during the days we are together.

With advanced notice, we are able to accommodate some allergy and dietary restriction preferences. Please annotate the restrictions/allergies when you register, so that we can inform the catering company.

Registration and lodging are complete when payment is received. Tickets are not refundable. However, we do understand unexpected situation occur.  You are able to transfer your registration and lodging to another woman.  Please contact Jessica Atwell, your regional registrar, if you need to initiate transfer of your registration.

If you are unable to find a replacement through your chapel, please submit a request to Jessica Atwell at southeastcomms@mccw.org to request sharing on our Southeastern FB page so we can let other chapels know a spot has opened up. Please note that if you have used a chapel subsidy, you may not transfer your registration to a woman from a different chapel.

We recommend you plan to dress in casual attire, to allow both comfort throughout lessons and mealtimes, while also being respectful for Mass and prayer times.

We also recommend optional exercise attire for those who choose to participate in Active Prayer opportunities.

We will have discernment for the MCCW Southeastern regional board. Here is a link of available positions and a contact sheet for you to review. More information will be provided to attendees before and during the retreat regarding discernment and open positions. Currently, the Regional Liturgist, Regional Communications Coordinator and Regional Coordinator positions will be discerned at the retreat.

Have a question or need to talk?

Please email Jessica Atwell at southeastcomms@mccw.org.

Share This Event