The South Saskatchewan River flows through the heart of Saskatoon, SK. Photo: Sarah Donnelly
Welcome to Spirit River Community - A Retreat Centre Without Walls
Many rivers flow through the Canadian prairies, bringing life and beauty. In a similar way, the Spirit flows through our lives, bringing curiosity, hope, comfort, and creativity.
Welcome to the SRC website. Thank you for your interest as a 'retreat centre without walls' continues to take shape. To learn more about the initial concept for this retreat centre, please click on the 'About SRC' page above. I'm convinced that with the guidance of thoughtful and prayerful facilitators, meaningful connections can be formed and nurtured online. I invite you to subscribe to the Spirit River Community e-newsletter to be informed about our upcoming presenters – please see the bottom of this webpage to subscribe.
Currently all presentations are only being offered on Zoom. A Zoom link will be emailed to you following your registration for a program. If the presentation is recorded, a copy of this recording will be sent to you to watch/review following the event.
Almost all of our past workshops have been recorded, and access to these presentations can be purchased by visiting the 'Shop' page on this website. Many have been discounted - enjoy!
See you soon - peace to you,
Sarah Donnelly, M.Div.
Upcoming Events
The Tent of Blessing
Margi Hollingshead, MSW, PhD, OblSB
Wednesday, December 3
1:00 - 3:30 p.m. CST
11:00 PST / 12:00 MST / 1:00 CST (includes SK) / 2:00 EST / 3:00 AST
Often overlooked in discussions of aging is the reality that our physical bodies and minds are wearing out, even as we are growing in wisdom and can play a critical role in affirming, nurturing and blessing the younger generations. How does that work if you can’t hear, or pick up your feet, or remember where you parked your car? ... (learn more)
Please note: the Growing in Wisdom participants are registered at no cost to participate in this workshop, and the zoom link will be sent to you.
Holding Tension:
Living Between the Now
and the Not Yet
Kalyn Falk, M.A.
Tuesday, December 9
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. CST
12:00 PST / 1:00 MST / 2:00 CST (includes SK) / 3:00 EST / 4:00 AST
Advent invites us to live in the tension between the now and the not yet—a sacred time of waiting and hope. Some tensions in life are not problems to be solved but polarities to be held—dynamic forces that invite wisdom rather than resolution ... (learn more)
Praying in Colour:
An Advent Creative Retreat
Kathy Berken, M.A.
Tuesday, December 16
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. CST
9:00 PST / 10:00 MST / 11:00 CST (includes SK) / 12:00 EST / 1:00 AST
Maybe you love color. Maybe you are a visual or kinesthetic learner, a distractible or impatient soul, or a word-weary pray-er. Perhaps you struggle with a short attention span, a restless body, or a tendency to live in your head. Maybe your prayers feel more like a list for Santa Claus than a love letter to God... (learn more)
Living with an Expansive Faith
Kalyn Falk, M.A.
Tuesday, January 13
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. CST
12:00 PST / 1:00 MST / 2:00 CST (includes SK) / 3:00 EST / 4:00 AST
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As faith deepens and integrates, life becomes an expression of our journey’s growth, rooted in intimacy with the Divine and extending toward others and creation. This workshop explores how to live faithfully in this stage, with attention to the unique call and challenges, or “shadow,” it may bring. Join us as we discuss the life of an “ordinary mystic” ... (learn more)
'Kindle in Us the Fire of Your Love'
- The Holy Spirit as Hope, Peace, and Unrest
Don Schweitzer, PhD
Thursdays, January 22, 29, February 5 & 12
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. CST
11:00 PST / 12:00 MST / 1:00 CST (includes SK) / 1:00 EST / 3:00 AST
In this time, many of us find ourselves praying 'Kindle in us the fire of your love' as we read the news or scroll through social media. How can we invite the Creator's Spirit to inspire us? This workshop will explore the Holy Spirit as Hope, Peace...and Unrest! (learn more)
Down the River...
The January to June 2026 schedule is currently being finalized.
The following presentations will be offered in the coming months - mark your calendars!
Retreats and Workshops being offered February to June 2026 include:
February 3 - The Journey of Forgiveness: Walking the Long Road, with Kalyn Falk
February 18 - Honouring Anger: The Protector of Our Essence, with Janelle Schneider
February 24 - Learning New Steps: Practicing Trust in Times of Transition, with Marilyn McEntyre
March 4 - An Introduction to Creative Writing, with Sally Ito
March 7 - "Lazarus, Come Out!" From Death to Life - A Lenten Retreat, with Faith Nostbakken
March 10, 17 & 24 - Coming Home to the Body, with Kalyn Falk
March 12 - The Path of Love, with Paula D'Arcy
March 18, 25 & April 1 - Creative Writing classes, with Sally Ito
March 24 - Praying in Colour in Lent, with Kathy Berken
April 8 - "There is no Resurrection where there is no Earth" - Celtic Perspectives on Easter, with Mary Earle
April 14 - Desert Spirituality and the Call to Remember, with Kalyn Falk
April 28 - Three Seeds of Ecological Spirituality, with Shawn Sanford Beck
April 29 - Putting the Inner Critic in Its' Place: Discovering the Boundaries that Turn the Inner Critic into an Ally, with Janelle Schneider
May 12 & 19 - Living the Virtues: Reclaiming Wholeness from What Distorts Us, with Kalyn Falk
May 13, 20, 27 & June 3 - Book Study: Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years, written by Ron Rolheiser, OMI - book study facilitators: Nancy Phillips and Sarah Donnelly
May 26 - Kything: Communion with the More-Than-Human World, with Shawn Sanford Beck
May 28, repeated May 30 - Take Time to Forgive, with Sr. Teresita Kambeitz OSU
June 4 - Getting Comfortable with Grief, with Joyce Aitken
Monthly workshops being offered by Kalyn Falk: https://kalynfalk.com/
October 14 - Let's Talk About Sex: Understanding How We've Been Woven Together
November 4 & 11 - The Moral Imagination: A Two-Part Journey into Sacred Possibility
December 9 - Holding Tension: Living Between the Now and the Not Yet
January 13 - Living with an Expansive Faith (back by popular demand!)
February 3 - The Journey of Forgiveness: Walking the Long Road
March 10, 17 & 24 - Coming Home to the Body
April 14 - Desert Spirituality and the Call to Remember
May 12 & 19 - Living the Virtues: Reclaiming Wholeness from What Distorts Us
Seasonal workshops being offered by Janelle Schneider: https://www.janelle-schneider.com/