Retreat Director
Ms. Julie Paavola
"On a recent summer vacation, I was overwhelmed at the sheer beauty of nature: the powerful, graceful whales I saw, the breathtaking colors of the California coast. It seemed that each day my heart was moved by some new marvel I usually simply ignored. The time of retreat is a time when we open ourselves to experience wonder as we glimpse the unspeakable beauty of creation and of God. It is a doorway we walk through, which helps us become more aware of the astounding love God has for us. As we come to know God personally, intimately we delight more and more in God as the Source of all that is good and true and beautiful and learn to see ourselves as part of this goodness. Nothing else can give us the joy this brings or take it away".
Ms. Julie Paavola, Retreat Director
Julie Paavola is a writer, retreat leader and trained spiritual director.
She
has a Masters in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union and
studied Carmelite spirituality for ten years. She is bilingual and has
spent years ministering to the Hispanic community, serving as Assistant
Director of Religious Education for Hispanics in the Archdiocese of San
Francisco and as Minister to Community for the growing Hispanic
community in North Carolina. There she worked at a Franciscan parish
doing community organizing, social justice education and ministry to the
Hispanic community.
Julie has contributed to retreats and conferences nationwide on a variety of subjects from prayer and discernment, to peace and justice, stewardship and family life. Her most recent work is a book on the spirituality of motherhood for our times and she is currently working on a book about motherhood as vocation. Julie feels blessed to also be taking part in the Pierre Favre course at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos, which provides training in giving the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. She makes her home in Northern California with her husband and two children, Joseph (7) and Daniel (4).
Retreats Ms. Paavola will be assisting with this season:
