In 2020, we created this website in response to the worldwide shutdown that happened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Before that, for 20 years, we gathered together in person to tell our stories and remember that we belong to one another. We built spiritual muscle memory, which served us well during the pandemic when we were asked not to hold one another.

Now, we are happily back in-person and online – hosting Beloved Retreats and Beloved Circles in more places than ever, thanks to technology. As a community, we give thanks for the gift of knowing ourselves as Baptized, Beloved people of God.

Through BAPTISM, we remember that we are precious, people of God SENT to RECONCILE and FEED one another always!

And in the words of our Beloved founder, Terry Nelson-Johnson,

"Can the church say?" Amen!!

About Beloved

The 2024 Beloved Retreat Experience

Spend a weekend contemplating the notion that you, just as you are, take God’s breath away. We invite you to a weekend of beginnings. Whether you are young or old (at heart), single or married, religious or skeptical, hurt or healing, laid back or caffeinated, you’ll fit right in at the Beloved Retreat. Thousands have participated in this retreat … like no other…for the past 25 years!

The beloved Community of Old St. Patrick’s Church hosts three retreats per year: two in-person and one online. Our In-person retreats are held at the beautiful Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Center in Woodstock, Illinois. We use the Zoom platform to host our annual online experience, which is ideal for those for whom being in person is prohibitive.

Other parishes around the country have engaged Old St Pat’s Beloved to host the Beloved Retreat through their parishes, including Holy Family in Inverness, St Anne’s in Barrington – and churches in Green Bay, Madison, and Western Springs. We have also gone international! Ste. Anne Church in Tecumseh Ontario Canada has hosted 8 Beloved Retreats since traveling to Chicago for their first Beloved experience years ago

The next IN-PERSON retreat will be held on November 22-24, 2024 at the LUREC Campus in Woodstock, IL.

Our weekend retreats begin on a Friday evening at 6 pm and conclude at 2 pm on Sunday. Lovely accommodations and meals are included. The retreat is dynamic and allows for contemplation, dialogue, connection, rest…and much fun!

If you have a hunch that this would be good for you, we hope you’ll join us. It would be so our honor to host you!

More upcoming retreats: Beloved 69: March 7-9, 2025 (Online), Beloved 70: May 2-4, 2025 (In-Person at LUREC)

Please use the “Register Now” button above to register for any of the upcoming retreats.

Register Now

GIVING TUESDAY

In this season of giving please consider donating to Beloved

Current needs:

Technology: Wireless webcam, Laptop, Website development, Website management

Marketing: Update video marketing material, Brochures for Beloved events, Outreach to community

Donate

Ongoing Needs:

Theology: Stipends for individuals leading retreat, day of reflection, legacies, Offset cost of Old St Pat’s staff supporting Beloved, Scholarships for individuals to attend retreat

Supplies: Weekend retreat material, Decorations / flowers / sweets, Pens, paper, binders, name tags, etc.