John Paul II Healing Center to host women’s retreat in Fargo

Over the past few months I have had a series of loving encounters with God the Father that have been truly transformative. As Catholics, we know God to be a communion of three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God, three Persons living in a loving exchange. Although we have a Triune God, my relationship has predominantly been with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

I have struggled with my identity and relationship as a daughter of God. I confess that I have trouble receiving His love with my self-reliance often getting in the way. I am prone to believe the lies of the evil one that I need to be perfect and that somehow I need to earn his love. I suspect this is something that many women can relate to. Deep within me, I have struggled with the notion that I personally am loved by God the Father. Even though I believe that the Father loves each of His children as sons and daughters, I struggle making the leap that this personally applies to me in my own relationship as His daughter. 

I had the privilege of attending an Undone Retreat in Panama City, Florida in January. I went there to scope things out, hoping to host this particular retreat in Fargo. I found that this retreat had a deep and personal impact on my own healing journey. It started with a simple conversation that I had with Melissa Perez, one of the retreat speakers. We were talking about logistics, and she sensed I was struggling to get out of my work brain and receive whatever God had in store for me. Recognizing this, she reassured me it was okay to take off my work hat and invited me to open myself up to what God wanted to do in me or for me. 

There have been times in my life when I’ve felt anything but loveable. I’ve had to surrender my desires and anxiety, praying that God will increase in me so that I may decrease. Providentially, with Melissa’s encouragement and by the grace of God, I was able to enter into deep prayer during the latter part of the retreat, receiving the profound love of the Father! It was during adoration that, there with Jesus before me, I encountered just how much God loves me now, that He gave His only Son to be with me—me personally. I felt the strong and warm embrace of the Father as I encountered Him though His Son. I was brought into a deeper understanding of God’s love for me as His daughter, and I felt His fatherly love in my heart. He reassured me that He does not expect me to be perfect, nor do I need to earn His love. He gave it to me freely and has all along. 

I know I still have work to do. I have to keep renouncing the lies of the evil one and live and pray from this place confidently where God loves me as His daughter. This experience left a deep impression within my heart, and I am excited to announce that we are blessed to be hosting this retreat in Fargo.  

Undone offers women over the age of 18 an opportunity to discover healing in our primary identity as a beloved daughter of God while exploring our other God-given identities as a sister, a bride, and a mother. These identities are what all women are called to, regardless of personal circumstances or vocation. At its core, this retreat helps women make sense of what it means to be a woman and to live as such, created and loved by God. This is done through teachings of Theology of the Body.  

Undone is run by the John Paul II Healing Center, a Florida-based apostolate that also offers retreats such as Healing the Whole Person and the Unveiled Couples Retreat. Undone is offered for women only, making it a safe place to work through personal and challenging life experiences. Speakers share heart-felt testimonies from their personal lives and lead us in how we can live in each one of these identities no matter our circumstances. One example is a testimony from a woman who lost each one of her biological children and yet she still lives and embraces her identity as a mother.  

In addition to speakers, there will be adoration, reconciliation, worship music, guided prayer experiences, a chance to meet other like-minded women and build friendships that can last a lifetime.  

Save the Date! Plan ahead! Find childcare! You won’t want to miss this!  

The retreat runs Thursday and Friday evenings and all day Saturday to make it easier for working women to attend. This event will be hosted at Sts. Anne & Joachim in Fargo Nov. 20–22. Registration opens Aug. 18. The in-person registration fee is $175 and livestream is $119. To learn more, call Jennie Korsmo at (701) 356-7901 or visit www.fargodiocese.org/undone, where you can sign up to be notified when registration opens.