Retreat for Artists & Art Lovers at St. Patrick's Seminary

Second Annual Retreat for Artists and Art-Lovers IN PERSON at St. Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park CA

Dear friends of Archbishop Cordileone and the Benedict XVI Institute:

Last June, we held our first annual Retreat for Artists and Art Lovers in St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park. The event was a smashing success. Catholic artists and lovers of art from all over the country converged on St. Patrick's Seminary to share in discussions and demonstrations of their crafts, as well as delicious meals, and poetry read aloud under the stars.

The result was electrifying. New friendships, new creative projects, new collaborations. Father Dwight Longenecker wrote to say that thanks to the Retreat has since written and staged multiple plays as well as writing radio plays on saints for Relevant Radio.

Grete Gryzwana, director of the Epiphany Dance Company, whom we met at last year's retreat, just wrote to me "I’m attaching the promo for With Love to Orvieto, St. Thomas Aquinas and the Feast of Corpus Christi.It's exciting that Ruth Pe Palileo, Heidi Vass and I were all at the Artist Retreat last year and met, and are all working together on this!"

This June, we're doing it again. The retreat will start with registration Friday from 11 am with lunch in the courtyard. Meet old friends and new from then until the morning of Sunday June 15 when we end at noon. So many friendships and so many artistic collaborations happened as a result of our first Retreat last year. Come, or come again, to gather at the beautiful, historic, and holy St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park to share the joys and lessen the burden of creating beauty in this world as Catholic artists and art-lovers.

Attendance will be limited to facilitate deeper bonds with one another.

The full program will be posted in a few weeks. There are two great artistic highlights for me: the first is the world premiere of a staged reading of excerpts from Dana Gioia's translation of Seneca's verse play "The Madness of Hercules," starring DANA GIOIA himself plus gifted professional actors. Be there as great art is made.

Secondly the famous architect Duncan Stroik is coming along with Claire Kretzschmar, choreographer for a panel on "From Grief to Beauty: the Story of Raffaella", the ballet and the movie. After the Stroiks' daughter-a talented ballet dancer-died, Duncan Stroik and his wife commissioned a ballet "Raffaella", to honor her. We will watch excerpts from the movie together and contemplate the mystery of transforming grief into great art.

Gather together to hear new works of sacred music by living Catholic composers, hear Catholic playwrights talk about creating a Catholic theater renaissance, share beautiful liturgies under the direction of St. Patrick's Seminary professor of sacred music Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka. Gather once again for Poetry and Cigars under the stars.

As last year, this is a retreat and a salon, not a conference with a speaker and audience. You will be invited to participate equally as Catholic artists and art lovers. Come prepared to share your work (bring samples) and your deepest longings for what would serve your calling. Patrons of the arts come and hear from the artists and share what you need to help develop a deeper, richer Catholic culture of the arts.

Praise for the Benedict XVI Institute's Retreat for Artists and Art Lovers

"Thank you for the wonderful and amazing Artist Retreat last weekend at St. Patrick’s Seminary. I am still on a high from those few days. You gave all of us a huge gift. And I am deeply grateful...I am a visual artist, and while I met with and connected with other visual artists, I was blown away by the composers, musicians, singers, poets, etc etc. Such a rich and diverse pool of talented people who simply gobsmacked me. I learned a lot, but more importantly, I was inspired. hat inspiration was much needed for me, especially at this moment in time, as I rarely get a chance to meet with other Catholic artists. I often feel like the Lone Ranger in my neck of the woods...I loved meeting you and I loved how you organized the weekend and I loved your talks…Thanks again. From the depth of my soul."

-Ann Marie Campbell

"I was blown away these last few days. What an extraordinary weekend that was! Everything about it was perfect. I'm accustomed to chant and polyphonic music – but this choral offering was out of this world. Dana's last session was meaty and memorable, Cordileone's talk ... will it be published online? I can't thank you enough for inviting me. I'm pressed against deadlines, but I can't imagine a better use of my time. I think all of us felt that way."

-Cynthia Haven

"I wanted to take a moment to convey my deep gratitude. The endless planning, personal invested time, commitment and loving care you so graciously put forth to make the artists' retreat such a wonderful experience was invaluable! The retreat events, location, and services were just what my creative soul needed as I emerge from the recent demanding years of my life. The beauty, kinship, peace, and sincere faithful expression provided closure for me, in so many, many ways, but also affirmed my strength, vision and hope found along God's path for me in such a beautiful life now and forthcoming. Thank you, so much, for your efforts in making that happen!"

-Kathy Jackanich

NOTE ON TRAVEL ACCOMMODATIONS: Attendees are responsible for their own airfare and lodgings. There are no hotels within a short walk of the Seminary. These three hotels are reasonably priced and within 2 miles of the Seminary. Ubers are plentiful and there is ample parking at the Seminary. The closest airport is SFO but Oakland is also doable.

Hotel Lucent

Menlo Park Inn

Park James

Host or Publisher Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music & Divine Worship