Spirit of ACTS is a community of members from the parishes of St. Patrick, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Gianna.
2024 Women's Retreat
June 20-23 • LaSalle Retreat Center
CLICK HERE for 2024 Registration Form to download and fill out and pay by cash or check
CLICK HERE to register and pay online with a credit card or automatic bank withdrawal
You are invited to join us for an extraordinary weekend! The Spirit of ACTS Women's Retreat will take place at the LaSalle Retreat Center in Wildwood, MO.
The retreat's goals are to allow an opportunity for each person to focus on their faith and its application in their daily lives, to build purpose in their prayer life, to increase their presence at the Celebration of The Eucharist, and to cultivate friendship among members of the church community. The retreat begins Thursday evening, June 20, with check-in at 6:00 PM in the gathering area at St. Patrick and ends Sunday, June 23 at the 11:00 AM Mass at St. Patrick. Round-trip transportation to and from the retreat center will be provided.
Cost for each retreatant is $270. If paying by cash or check, a registration fee of $50 must be submitted with the registration form in order to reserve your place. The remaining $220 is due at the Thursday check-in. PLEASE NOTE: Financial difficulties should not prevent anyone from attending the retreat. If you are unable to pay all or part of the fee or need further information regarding the retreat, please contact one of the retreat directors.
2024 Leaders: Director Jackie Barclay (636) 299-3717, Co-Director Rebecca Dollens (636)443-5706, Co-Director Laura Orf (314) 660-2011.
2024 Men's Retreat
August 8-11 • LaSalle Retreat Center
CLICK HERE for 2024 Registration Form to download and fill out and pay by cash or check
CLICK HERE to register and pay online with a credit card or automatic bank withdrawal
Catholic laymen present the ACTS weekend retreat. The retreat’s goals are to allow an opportunity for men to focus on their faith and its application in their daily lives, to grow in their prayer life, to increase their presence at the Celebration of the Eucharist, and to cultivate friendship among members of the church community.
The retreat begins Thursday evening, Aug. 8 with check-in at 6 PM at St. Patrick, in Wentzville (church gathering area) and ends Sunday morning, Aug. 11 with 11:00 AM Mass at St. Patrick in Wentzville, followed by a luncheon for all. Round-trip transportation to and from the retreat center will be provided for all retreatants.
Cost for each retreatant is $270. If paying by cash or check, a registration fee of $50 must be submitted with the registration form in order to reserve your place. The remaining $220 is due at the Thursday check-in. PLEASE NOTE: Financial difficulties should not prevent anyone from attending the retreat. If you are unable to pay all or part of the fee or need further information regarding the retreat, please contact one of the retreat directors.
2024 Directors: Director, Chris Noice, 636-579-4322, cjnoicesr@gmail.com, Co-Director, Bob Webb, 636-445-4074, outtopasture78@gmail.com, Co-Director, Marc Yadamec, 636-625-1551, marc@everwear.com.
What is an ACTS Retreat? An ACTS retreat is a three day and three-night Catholic lay retreat presented by fellow parishioners. The retreat begins on Thursday evening and ends the following Sunday at a Mass celebrated with the parish community. Retreats for men and retreats for women are given separately. Talks and activities during the retreat focus on Adoration, Community, Theology and Service, from which the ACTS program acronym is derived. Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are the guides for the retreats. The retreat takes on the traditions and atmosphere of the parish community sponsoring it. It facilitates attainment of a new or deeper relationship with the Lord through:
Adoration – the call by, acceptance of, and response to God
Community – the love and caring of each other
Theology – the study of God through scripture and the Catholic Faith
Service – to God and his people
What is the purpose of the ACTS retreat? An ACTS weekend is designed to help retreatants enter into a new or deeper relationship with our Lord and fellow parishioners. This is accomplished through Adoration and daily prayer, the call to Community in one’s parish as a member of the Body of Christ, and Theology in encouraging the study of scripture and our Catholic Faith. All of these emphasize and encourage the virtue of Service to our Lord, our parish and one another. The weekend allows retreatants to experience God’s love and joy and return to their parish with a deeper love for each other and a desire to become more involved in their parish community.
How are ACTS retreats organized and run? Each retreat is conducted by a dedicated team of parishioners who have attended prior ACTS retreats. They spend significant time prior to the retreat meeting weekly and preparing spiritually for it, as well as handling all the planning and logistics for the weekend. Chosen by the retreat Director and working with one of the parish priests, the team organizes the retreat, conducts the retreat talks and activities, and ministers to the needs of retreatants during the retreat weekend.
Why attend an ACTS retreat? The weekend is a powerful and enduring personal conversion experience. Talks, which draw from the personal experiences of team members focus on Adoration, the need for prayer and meditation on the word of God, Community, the importance of community built on faith and love, Theology, the need to read and understand scripture and our Catholic Faith and Service, the need to answer Christ’s call to servanthood. Activities conducted during the weekend give retreatants a better understanding of the significance and importance of prayer, liturgy, the sacraments, scripture, community and service. Retreatants are also given guidance to help them in their faith journey. It is a powerful community-building experience. The ACTS weekend brings retreatants to a better understanding of God’s love for them and develops their need to share that love with others through their involvement in a faith-centered parish community. The retreat emphasizes our call to service, service to the parish community and to our world community. This results in a new or renewed dedication to the life of the parish community and increased awareness of the needs of those around us along with the desire, as followers of Christ, to help meet those needs.
What happens on an ACTS retreat? What activities? Is it a silent retreat? If not, am I required to participate? This isn’t a silent retreat—it is more participative. While the retreats are planned around the same format, they all happen a little differently and part of the blessing (and enjoyment) of the retreat is discovering what it means to you as it happens. There is prayer, reflection, liturgy and discussion. You can choose to participate in the discussion as much or little as you like. People are different, so their experience and reaction to the retreat differs, but if you talk to men and women who have been on the retreat, you’ll see that responses are typically very positive.
How long is the ACTS retreat? What do I prepare for? The retreat begins at church on Thursday evening at about 6:15 PM and is completed at 11:00 AM Mass on Sunday. Take into consideration the time of year and pack appropriately. While most of the activities take place indoors, you will likely spend some time outdoors. Also, pack things you would typically bring for a short trip—toiletries, medications, etc. Bring clothes appropriate for Mass on Sunday.
What about accommodations and meals? The retreat takes place at LaSalle Retreat Center in Wildwood, MO. Each retreatant has a private room with a single bed, desk, sink, and closet. Retreatants on each floor share a large bathroom with 3 stalls and 4 showers. The food is wonderful— three meals are served each day and the retreat team makes certain that snacks and non- alcoholic beverages (water, soda, coffee) are available throughout the day. If you have special dietary needs, it is helpful if you note them on the registration form when you sign up for the retreat.
If I go on an ACTS retreat, am I required to participate more in the future? Do I have to do certain things? Do I have to be on a retreat team or be involved in other ACTS centered activities?
The short answer is no, you don’t have to do anything after the retreat. Hopefully, during the retreat you learn things about your faith, yourself and the way others practice their faith. The goal isn’t more members for a group, it is a better, stronger relationship with the Lord. If that relationship moves you to also become more active in our parish community, that’s great!
What is the cost of the retreat? Please see the current registration form for the fee. PLEASE NOTE: Financial difficulties should not prevent anyone from attending this retreat. If you wish to inquire about a scholarship or need more information, please contact one of the persons listed on the retreat Registration Form.
Prayers For ACTS Retreat
Before the men and women head out on retreat, there will be a signup sheet available to pray for the people going on the ACTS retreat. We ask that those who are able, commit and sign up for an hour of prayer sometime during that weekend. Thank you from the members of ACTS!
ACTS Faith Formation
Men's Prayer and Discussion Group
2nd and 4th Saturday of every month
St. Patrick Church
7:40 am Rosary
8:00 am Mass
Immediately followed by coffee, doughnuts, and prayer/discussion
Rosary & Prayers led by ACTS
Every Wednesday 7 pm, Chapel
Here’s what others have said about their ACTS experience
- ACTS surprised me. I found a whole new relationship with faith-filled women (and men) who are willing, even eager, to share their experience of Christ in their daily lives.
- I thought I was close to the Lord before – this retreat helped me and showed me what to do and where I need to be to become even closer.
- A life-changing experience.
- It was a gift to us all. Christ was so alive in all of us.
- My experience at this ACTS retreat has definitely brought me closer to the Lord. I am inspired to continue to pray and reflect upon the many ways the Lord wishes to use me. I plan to continually place myself at the foot of the cross, at the feet of my Savior in adoration.
- I am so blessed to have come. The Spirit was definitely present in everything.
- An experience that I will never forget and want everyone to be able to experience.
- Everyone needs ACTS, they just don’t know it yet.
Our annual pancake breakfast fundraiser is normally held in February.
Pancake Breakfast
Sun, February TBD, 2025
St. Patrick Social Hall
7:30 AM - 12:30 PM
$TBD Adults - $TBD Kids (4-12)
pancakes, sausage, eggs, biscuits & gravy, beverages
Proceeds benefit Spirit of ACTS from the parishes of St. Patrick, Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Gianna