The following is a series of testimonials of people who have benefited from the Bethany Retreat House and the work that they do. For the sake of privacy, the participants are listed numerically and not by name.
Participant #1 goes regularly for a daytime retreat. She is also in a dream group and has availed herself of other Bethany offerings for over 20 years. She had the following to say about the Bethany Retreat House: “Retreating at Bethany is life giving, refreshing, energizing. It re-charges my battery and brings me closer to God.”
Participant #2 is an adjunct theology professor. She is a spiritual director who meets at Bethany with other spiritual directors in a peer supervision group. She is also a member of one of the dream groups that meets at Bethany. She had the following to say about the Bethany Retreat House: “Bethany Retreat House gives me a place in the peer supervision group to process my spiritual direction practice and to hone my spiritual direction skills. The dream group puts me in touch with how fascinating it is that the Holy Spirit moves and teaches us even when we are not conscious of what is going on.”
Participant #3 is a recently retired psychotherapist and massage therapist who belongs to a dream group at Bethany. She has also facilitated a dream workshop here. She said, “Bethany Retreat House is a physically lovely, comfortable space. It’s welcoming and safe emotionally, which provides space for personal spiritual exploration and growth. I especially appreciate the attitude of acceptance of where I am at the moment which encourages in depth growth in a joyful way. There’s enough support and encouragement without judgement. Makes the journey more free and more mine.”
Sister Michele Dvorak, a counselor at Bethany Retreat House states that “Bethany Retreat House makes the world a better place on a daily basis by providing men and women with opportunities to explore their spirituality, thus contributing to a more peaceful culture in East Chicago and beyond. The gift that Foundations of East Chicago provides both helps to balance the Bethany budget and to effect change in the community where spirituality is so desperately needed.”
