Retreat Schedule > Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock: A Journey Through Sacred Thresholds

Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock: A Journey Through Sacred Thresholds

An Ignatian, Silent Weekend Retreat for Men

February 26 - 28, 2027

Groups Attending: Individuals

Summary

This retreat invites you to walk through the sacred thresholds of Scripture: doors of encounter, freedom, suffering, and new life. Each “door” is a spiritual opening, a place where God meets us and draws us into deeper trust and love. Grounded in the Ignatian Examen, one of the key movements of the Spiritual Exercises, every session leads toward the door Christ still knocks on today: the human heart. Along the way, we cross Scripture’s most powerful entry points: the Threshold of Creation, the Ark, the Passover Doorposts, the Temple, the Manger, the Shepherd’s Gate, the Upper Room, the Tomb’s opening, and finally, the threshold into Christ’s own heart.

Description

This retreat includes several presentations, daily mass, 6 meals, the opportunity for one-on-one spiritual direction with a trained spiritual director, and many other opportunities to explore our 80 acres and almost 60k square feet of interior space. All activities are optional, but we do ask everyone to respect the quiet of the retreat house for everyone to have the opportunity to read, sleep and reflect in the quiet.

Bellarmine has two libraries, a resource center, two chapels, and many other common areas. Outdoor spaces include a various walking trails, various prayer gardens, a gazebo, stations of the cross, as well as a few patios and outdoor chairs and benches. Each retreatant has their own bedroom.

You can learn more about what to expect by visiting this page.

Retreat Experience Gallery

Bellarmine Main Entrance

Sacred Heart Chapel

Mary McKeon Library

St. Joseph Gazebo

Mother Teresa Garden

Eastern Africa Collection

Fireplace Lounge

Dining Room

Winter on the Grounds

Resource Center

Sacred Heart Statue at Sunset

Susie's Memorial Garden

Madonna Library

Lower Level Lounge

Retreat Leader

Damian Torres-Botello, SJ

Damian Torres-Botello, S.J., is a Jesuit priest serving as Director of Evangelization for the Cincinnati Jesuit Parish Family, comprised of Bellarmine Chapel at Xavier University and St. Xavier Church in downtown Cincinnati. A native of Kansas City (the Missouri side), he holds degrees from Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry (M.Div.), Loyola University Chicago (M.A. in Social Philosophy), and Saint Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas (B.A. in Theatre). Before entering the Jesuits, Damian spent 30 years in theatre, creating work rooted in real stories, committed to lifting up voices too often ignored, trusting that the stories we tell can draw us into deeper compassion, connection, and belonging. Shaped by the Spiritual Exercises and the practice of discernment, Damian preaches and leads retreats attentive to where God’s grace is already unfolding: in the tension, the quiet, the beauty, and the mess of real life. He preaches to move head, heart, hands, and feet, trusting that the Spirit begins with listening. Convicted that something new is always being born, he seeks to create space for encounter, reflection, and mission, so that when God speaks, we are sent. Damian is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry in Evangelization at The Catholic University of America.