A 6-day preached retreat based on the late Pope’s Apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia).
What is striking about The Joy of Love is its compelling focus on Christ as the center of our faith. The Joy of Love urgently stresses the need to return to this foundational message as the wellspring of all teaching and pastoral discernment in our own time.
Only by fixing one’s contemplative gaze upon the living Christ, only by “looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2), does the Christian life finds its sure foundation. The living of love expressed in its many forms, as taught by the late Pope Francis in The Joy of Love, is the focus of this preached retreat. Although texts from Pope Francis’ The Joy of Love will anchor each conference other voices from scripture, as well as from Christian and non-Christian traditions, will be used to enhance our understanding of the late Pope’s thinking on the joy of love. The retreat is focused on the dynamic transformative nature of love; thus, this retreat is for priests, religious brothers and sisters, and laity alike.
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Director: Father David B. Perrin, Ph.D. (Diocese of Hamilton, ON)
Father David B. Perrin, Ph.D., D.Th., holds the title of Professor Emeritus at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario. He received specialized training in Ignatian Spirituality from the Jesuits at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he attended the Institute of Spirituality and graduated with an advanced degree in Christian Spirituality. Upon returning to Canada, he completed a doctorate in Spirituality at Saint Paul University. As a seasoned educator, academic speaker, author, and workshop and retreat director, he has delivered conferences, workshops, and retreats across Canada, the United States, and Europe on various topics. Among his many publications are The 20-Minute Retreat: 18 Sessions with the Saints to Nourish your Faith (Novalis, 2019) and his latest book, Studying Christian Spirituality, 2nd edition (Routledge, 2024).
Dates: Sunday, July 19 – Friday, July 24, 2026
Cost per person: $825 Single, $675 Double (per person), $455 Commuter
Cost includes: Accommodations, meals, program fees.
Click here to register online or call the office at 613-623-4242 x 21
Retreat Schedule:
- Sunday, July 19 – Registration opens at 2 pm, dinner at 5:30 pm, first gathering 7 pm
- Monday, July 20 – Thursday, July 23 – Daily retreat schedule including two conferences, Eucharist, time for personal contemplation, and meals in silence.
- Friday, July 24 – Morning conference, Eucharist, lunch, departure by 2 pm.
What to expected from a Preached Retreat
The preached retreat is a privileged time for you to deepen your relationship with God.
Two conferences of about 30 minutes each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, will assist to guide you in your prayer and meditation. Scripture passages will be suggested to deepen your personal reflection on each conference. Aside from the conferences and the time you set aside for your own personal prayer, your time is unstructured. The only group prayer offered is the daily Eucharistic liturgy. An atmosphere of silence is maintained in the house and on the grounds for the duration of the retreat.