Healing of the Heart: Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock
An Ignatian, Semi-Silent Weekend Retreat for Adults
September 12 - 14, 2025
Suggested Contribution: $380.00 per person
Groups Attending: Individuals
Summary
Come to praise and worship the Lord, hear inspiring teachings and powerful witnesses. Come with a hungry heart to experience a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The retreat is open to seasoned charismatics and those new to the movement.
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 Leaders
Fr. J. Michael Sparough, SJ
Fr. J. Michael Sparough, SJ is a retreat leader, poet, story teller and spiritual director at the Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL. He holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a Doctor of Ministry from St Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL. He is the founder of Charis, a national Jesuit retreat ministry for young adults in their 20s and 30s. For 10 years he trained spiritual directors at Loyola University-Chicago.
A prolific writer and speaker, Fr. Michael has published books, poems, CDs, and DVDs on prayer, discernment, and the sacraments with America Media, Franciscan Media, Paulist Press, Liturgical Training Publications and Audible. His latest co-authored book, published by Loyola Press, is What’s Your Decision? An Ignatian Approach to Decision Making.
Fr Michael is also the President of Heart to Heart Catholic Media Ministry. His weekly video homilies can be seen online at www.HtoH.US. He has just completed writing and directing a 12-part video series entitled: Discern & Decide: Navigating Life’s Choice, An Ignatian Video Guide.
Listen to a talk by Fr. Michael.
Mark Kwaku Nimo, D. Min.
Mark Kwaku Nimo comes from Ghana in West Africa. He is married to Mercy and has three daughters. Mark earned a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union in May, 2006 and an Ecumenical Doctor of Ministry in May 2012. He currently serves as Director of Faith Formation at St. Moses the Black Parish and Augustus Tolton Catholic Academy in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Through his involvement in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Mark has ministered in over forty-five countries worldwide on all continents.
For a period of ten years, Mark served as the representative for all Anglophone African countries on the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) office in the Vatican. Mark spent 6 months on the Island of Malta, for his discipleship training school (DTS) with the International Catholic Programme of Evangelization (ICPE) in 1990. After his training, he spent two years as a lay missionary in Uganda, East Africa working in discipleship training schools at the Emmaus Center (Luwero) and doing ministry to people with HIV/AIDS.