The Journey Is the Goal:
Learning to see our life as a pilgrimage

September 19-21, 2025

Fee: $330 (Friday dinner through Sunday Breakfast)

We live in a goal-oriented society, a world that expects us to be productive every waking moment. But what if life is not about getting through a series of tasks or to a particular destination? What if the journey itself is where we are meant to find our purpose and God’s promise? When we look at Scripture, we see that it is often on the journey that the great spiritual lessons occur — on a trek up a mountain, pulling water from a well, on a boat waiting for fish to bite, on the road to Emmaus. Our faith story is full of “aha moments” that occur amid the ordinary tasks of everyday life. When we rush through the ordinary moments in our own lives to get to a “goal,” we risk missing the lesson, drowning out the voice of the Spirit, trampling over God right there in our midst.

This weekend retreat will allow us to step outside the fray of the busy world around us and explore the possibility that exists within the details of our days. When we are willing to approach life as a never-ending pilgrimage rather than a rat race, we begin to find more meaning, more beauty, more joy right where we are at any given moment, even the challenging ones. Come away for a few days and take the first steps on the pilgrim journey, one that requires no passport or plane ticket. We are all pilgrims on the Way.

In addition to formal presentations, this retreat will include journaling, dialogue, music, movement, and more. Optional yoga classes will be offered. There will be a limited number of spiritual direction appointments available for those interested. And there will be plenty of free time to rest, pray, and enjoy the beauty of Graymoor’s Holy Mountain, which includes acres of land for walking, many beautiful chapels (indoor and out), a wonderful bookstore, a thrift store, and even an art exhibit. A little bit of everything. Join us!

Presenter: Mary DeTurris Poust
Mary DeTurris Poust is a writer, retreat leader, and spiritual director living in upstate New York. She has written six books on Catholic spirituality and seven books of seasonal scriptural reflections, including Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Reflections for Advent & Christmas 2025-2026, recently released by Liturgical Press. You can find her writing and podcast at her website: NotStrictlySpiritual.com

For more information or to register please contact Kacey Morabito-Grean at HMFRC@AtonementFriars.org.