March 7-9, 2025 Women’s Quiet Retreat

A Desperate Seeking

This weekend quiet retreat of King’s House at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows explores the dense text of Mark’s Gospel containing two different healing stories. (Cf: Mk 5:21-43)  Both Jairus and the woman suffering from a hemorrhage are desperately seeking Jesus’ healing touch. Come and experience the loving response of Jesus to the needs and pleas of those he encounters—Jairus, the suffering woman, and you.

On Friday evening, the retreat opens with a simple reflection:  what are you seeking? The first evening of retreat will give you an opportunity to simply arrive and settle in, allowing your own needs to surface so you can entrust them to God. We begin with the question:  what are you Boldly Seeking?

The Saturday morning conference of retreat provides a reflection on the actions of Desperate Love.  What do you do for love of those you care about? As we spend time with Jairus and his desire for his daughter’s healing, we consider how our own worries about loved ones can lead us to either seek God more ardently or turn away in fear, doubt, or anger.

The afternoon conference on Saturday will focus on Jesus and the woman who touched the hem of his garment in order to be healed. In addition to physical suffering, this woman also experienced cultural embarrassment, religious exclusion, and emotional fatigue. She sought relief from Jesus, believing in his power to cure her. When your life and relationships feel in need of a Desperate Healing, how do you approach God—and how do you believe God will respond?

On Sunday, as we conclude the retreat, we ponder the response of God to all our seeking. When we bring our needs and worries, our fears and hopes, how does God receive them? Dare we believe in God’s Desperate Hunger for our healing?

During our retreat A Desperate Seeking we will have time to celebrate the sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick, as well as time to gather in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

King’s House invites you to come and explore the quiet and hospitality of the Shrine grounds.  We hope you will find time to enjoy nature, pray with others, listen to God’s voice in scripture, music, conference presentations, Chapel prayer services, and silence. In all these experiences, may you seek and find the God who loves you beyond all measure.