Advent Directed Retreat Weekend 2025
With Sister Mary Ellen Higgins, IHM, Sister Carmen Cabrejos, ACJ, Sister Jean Marie Pisula, CSFN, Buff Barnes and Sister Mercedes Rojo, OSF
December 5 - 7, 2025
A directed retreat at St. Raphaela Center is a time of quiet in order to enhance attentiveness to God’s voice within you and in your life. A reverent silence is maintained throughout the Retreat Center at all times including during meals. Each retreatant meets with his/her director twice for approximately 45 minutes. Each director possesses the necessary skills to guide their directees compassionately and peacefully, allowing them to listen to God’s voice and to journey closely with their loving God, both within the retreat setting and going forth into their daily lives. The number, nature and length of periods of formal prayer each day will depend upon the ability and needs of the individual and will be determined in conversation with the director. Retreatants are provided suggested scripture passages tailored to their own prayer. Ideally retreatants will have some experience in meditative prayer, the desire to enter into prolonged silence, and sufficient self-awareness to recognize their own inward movements. All retreatants have the opportunity for daily liturgy and reconciliation.
Date: December 5 – 7, 2025
Time: Starting at 4:00pm; Ending December 7 after lunch
About the Spiritual Directors
Sister Mary Ellen Higgins, IHM
Mary Ellen Higgins, IHM, is a Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from Scranton, PA. She was trained in the practice of spiritual direction at Fordham University and has companioned others in spiritual direction for over twenty five years. Mary Ellen served in Latin America for seventeen years and so also speaks Spanish. She […]
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Sister Carmen Cabrejos, ACJ
Sister Carmen Cabrejos is a Handmaid of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Born in Peru, she has lived in the United States since 1986, in Miami, Athens and Atlanta GA, Philadelphia, and is coming back to Haverford. She has worked in Hispanic ministry, adult faith formation, work with the homeless and Spiritual Direction. She holds […]
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Sister Jean Marie Pisula, CSFN
Sister Jean Marie Pisula is a Sister of the Holy Family Of Nazareth, who just recently returned from 26 years of missionary service in the Philippines. Her Masters degree in Spirituality at Creighton University and her studies and practicum at the Ignatian Spirituality Center in the Philippines have helped her to do ministries like Bible […]
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Buff Barnes
Buff has been offering spiritual direction to individuals and groups since 2004. She completed a certificate training at Oasis Ministries in Camp Hill, PA, and subsequently completed a Master's degree in Holistic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction at Chestnut Hill College. Buff is part of the spiritual direction ministry at Wayne Presbyterian Church and St. David's […]
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Sister Mercedes Rojo, OSF
Mercedes Rojo, OSF, is a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia. She is a psychotherapist, spiritual director and retreat facilitator. Sister Mercedes has extensive experience as an educator, retreat facilitator, spiritual director, and mental health counselor, and is passionate about bringing her faith and her experience of God’s PRESENCE in the Here and Now to […]
Learn more about Sister Mercedes Rojo, OSFCategory : Overnight Program