You can visit our "Event Details" page, it has a list of items to bring with you.
Can I stay with family or friends instead of in a cabin?
Absolutely. Purchase a "commuter" ticket and come and go as you please. If you aren't sure if you will have somewhere to stay, the All-Inclusive ticket is only a little bit more money and will ensure you have a nice place to stay for the retreat.
I've never been to a retreat before. Is it weird?
Not our retreat. There are a lot of weird retreats out there, but not this one. We don't have any secrets, ask anyone who has attended before. No secret ceremonies, weird rituals, or hugging. Well, maybe a small amount of voluntary hugging, but that's it.
Let's talk about what's going to happen over the course of the weekend if you are staying the night (All-Inclusive Package).
Friday: Come to the Welcome Center and make sure all of your paperwork and waivers are filled out. The guy at the desk will give you a packet of information and tell you which room you are staying in and where it's located. Go to your cabin and pick a bed, throw your stuff on the bed and head over to the chapel to go to confession. You need it. If you need help with that, there is a confession booklet in your envelope.
Once you get that done, stroll the campgrounds and go down to the lake if you want. The weather is a little unpredictable in October but its usually gorgeous and quiet. Make sure you are in the chapel by 4:45PM for a little welcome message, then we will go eat a meal, cafeteria style. Lutherhaven's staff does a great job making sure we are well fed.
​After supper, we will have a one hour talk. These talks are the highlight of the weekend for most guys. The talk is followed by Mass, which takes on a whole new dimension when it is just guys. No little kids, no scandalously clad female parishioners. Just dudes. Young and old.
After Mass we will have a Eucharistic procession and then the rest of the night is yours. Gather around a campfire and listen to war stories, or hunting stories, or just enjoy the cool of the fall evening. Take an hour long shift of adoration with Our Lord at some time throughout the night. Get as much sleep as you can so you can make it through the next day.
Saturday: The pace pretty high Saturday morning. Rosary, then our second talk, then Mass, then brunch, and another talk. The afternoon gives a long break to digest all of the spiritual food we've been fed all morning. Usually priests are available to hear a few more confessions. The schedule picks up in the early afternoon and gives us more meals, talks, time for prayer, etc.
Sunday: More good stuff. Talks, Mass, breakfast, and the group's favorite event: Q&A with the speakers. Done and out of there around noon.
Can I get a full schedule of the retreat events?
Yes, please go to the "Event Details" Page.
Are scholarships available to help cover the cost?
Yes. We usually have donors who will chip in a little extra to cover the cost of someone else's ticket. These are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on circumstances. Although the retreat is not technically a non-profit organization, it is staffed completely by volunteers and seeks only to cover the cost of putting on the retreat, so we don't have a ton of excess funds to cover those costs without the help of others stepping in.
Will attending the retreat shorten my time in purgatory?
Yes, in fact if properly done, purgatory can be completely avoided by attending the retreat with a 100% money-back guarantee. If you arrive in purgatory and have any trouble, please notify the men's retreat committee as soon as possible.
If I go to three Masses in 3 days, can I skip the next two Sundays?
Please take the opportunity to ask the priest in the confessional this question and let us know how it goes.