Dear Friends of St. Rita’s, Welcome to our 2011 season of the Festival of Praise Concerts. We are happy that you have come again to join us in this wonderful event. We have new faces as well as returning favorites this year. It is wonderful to see how the people enjoy these musical events and it is a beautiful way to give to God glory and praise.
We appreciate your donations as they help us to keep these concerts going. We are always in need of volunteers to help us in the planning and work for next year. If you feel called to be with us, please contact St. Rita Retreat Center at 541-855-1333 and let us know.
St. Rita Retreat Center has served the people of Southern Oregon for over 25 years now. Through the generosity of the many kind, dedicated volunteers who donate so much of their time and talents to us, you can see the beauty and enhancements to St. Rita's all around you. I am always complimented on the beauty of the Center, but it is the work of the volunteers who have made such a difference. Their dedication has brought a sense of peace and wholeness to the retreatants and visitors who come here seeking spiritual renewal. This Grotto is one such example. It was once a garbage pit, just look at it now! Thanks to the support and donation of many volunteers, a new addition this year to the Festival of Praise Concerts is our concession stand, "Mamma Rita's at the Grotto". All proceeds from the concession sales go to help support St. Rita Retreat Center.
Another program we have going is our Summer Spirituality Series; various small evening or Saturday sessions to enhance our spiritual life and sustain us spiritually through the long hot dog days of summer. Be sure to check them out on our webpage and join us for these uplifting mini-retreats.
The success of St. Rita's has always been community participation: those who donate monthly for St. Rita's upkeep and those who generously donate their time and efforts. We ask you to prayerfully consider helping St. Rita Retreat Center to continue its mission of spiritual renewal to the people of Southern Oregon through your financial donations as well as volunteer help.
Fr. Stephen Fister Director
Previous News Letters from Father Stephen Fister are below
CAN YOU HELP!
St. Rita's has many needs I have listed a few of them below. Please pray and ask the Lord to show you how you can help.
1- We need a new or used full size passenger van to shuttle people to and from the lower parking areas during Weddings and the Festival of Praise events. ( a small school type bus or a mini van could also work)
2- We need donations to grade and gravel the back road down from the Sacred Grotto parking area to the lower parking areas. This is also an issue with fire protection and traffic flow.
3- We need dontations to grade and rock the lower parking areas.
4- We would like to build one or two nicer hermitages (cabins) at a cost of $10,000 each.
5- We have a dream of some day building a glass chapel. Pray to see if the Lord may want you to join with us to make this dream come true for the Glory of God.
St. Rita Retreat Center P. O. Box 310 Gold Hill, OR 97525
ST. RITA'S NEWS Winter and Spring 2011
Dear Friends of St. Rita’s A Friends of St. Rita Retreat Center Group Meeting was held at St. Rita Retreat Center on Feb. 8th. “Friends” are volunteers who wish to support St. Rita Retreat Center by using their knowledge, skills, time, and energy to share their love and knowledge of St. Rita Retreat Center with parishes and organizations, to help promote events, and to inform people of opportunities to be a Friend by helping meet the retreat center’s needs. Much has been accomplished in the past year through the efforts of many volunteers and supporters. In the coming months, Friends will be working to continue the growth and development of events such as the Festival of Praise Concert Season, Weddings in the Sacred Grotto, and preparation of the Hermitage for better use. Maintaining the buildings, grounds, and trails is ongoing and always in need of Friend-helpers. A “painting and fix-up gathering” is scheduled for June 6-12 (Mon.-Sat.) to which all interested people are invited. A Friend with Forest Management experience has volunteered to assess the needs for the acreage surrounding St. Rita Retreat Center and lead volunteers in working on fire safety. After being surrounded by wildfire last summer, it is evident that completing this task is of critical importance. In addition to promoting fire safety, management of the forest will bring additional beauty to the retreat center grounds. There are volunteer opportunities in all areas and we encourage you to consider how you might help support your very own Southern Oregon sacred space and place. Look for a poster and brochures in your church, information in your parish bulletin on upcoming retreats and parish contact persons, and check out our website at www.createdtoworship.us/stritaretreatcenter.html, which is updated weekly. St. Rita Retreat Center is also on Facebook and YouTube. You may contact Fr. Stephen Fister, Retreat Center Director, at 541-855-1333 or Suzanne at 541-955-5958, for more information, to volunteer, and to offer your support. The next meeting of Friends of St. Rita Retreat Center will be Tuesday, May 3rd at 6:30 p.m., at the retreat center, 10800 Blackwell Rd., Gold Hill all are welcome..
Dear Friends of St. Rita, It is that time of year again when we think about gifts and giving. Here at St. Rita we survive on the generosity of the people who come on retreat to be able to pay the bills that keep the facility running on a daily basis: the electric bills, the propane bills, the garbage bills, insurance premiums, grounds keeping, retreat house laundry etc., etc. In this year of financial troubles there have been less people on retreat and some groups, unfortunately, have had to cancel their time here. God has continued to bless us, however. The fire that threatened us a few weekends ago did no damage to our property due to the prayer of many individuals who set up a wall of prayer that sent the fire completely around us! Our Festival of Praise Concerts continue to be a success. They are a ministry we provide for the people of the Rogue Valley and the donations from each concert go to the musicians and for concert expenses. We will soon be having meetings to begin arrangements for next year’s season. Our volunteers continue to be a source of great blessings. We could not succeed without them. So much is done here by them, the little things that make the grounds so beautiful, who keep the facilities running smoothly and help in emergencies, when the ovens won’t work or the path lights don’t light or have been driven over. The local Knights of Columbus Councils have been generous in giving of their talents and labor as well (the stage in the Grotto, the moving of the Hermitage). A retreat center is not a parish. It survives on the good will and donations of those who appreciate what it has to offer. Today’s economic climate is generating clouds of doubt, stress, confusion and anxiety. All are impacted and are looking for ways to weather this storm. It is within this context that we come to you. We ask your help to continue to provide a place for those who seek solace, deep connection and refreshment for their troubled spirits. We know that when people change, the world changes. We depend on each other to sustain our life of faith financially. This demands sacrifice on our parts, but we prayerfully ask you to please consider a onetime donation or an ongoing pledge to St. Rita Retreat Center. Several people are already doing this and we are eternally grateful to them. Their generosity as benefactors helps us over the rough spots throughout the year. Please consider joining them in keeping St. Rita’s as a place for people to reorient themselves from the strains of recession to a place of spiritual, mental and physical refreshment.
