Extraordinary preaching of the Gospel has been the hallmark of the Redemptorist charism from our very beginning. Our retreat houses have always given special emphasis to that proclamation. Perpetual Help Retreat Centre has offered a place to reflect on God’s grace working in the lives of people since 1963.
Looking Back
Redemptorist retreats began in 1927 at Immaculate Conception Seminary, located on the shores of Lac Labelle in Oconomowoc. Forty-one men from the local area attended the first retreat. It was so successful that the movement grew with the support of the Redemptorists and Catholic laity throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
To accommodate the overnight guests, students at the seminary vacated their rooms and spent some weeks during the summer at camp on Stumpy Bay on Ochacie Lake, part of the Snyder Farms property.
By 1960, interest in spiritual renewal grew and seminary enrolment increased to 116 seminarians, leaving little room for the retreat program to continue at the seminary. To accommodate this growing interest in personal renewal and to offer year-round programs, the Redemptorists began searching for another suitable location to build on what was already a very successful ministry.
In 1961, the Redemptorists purchased a portion of the General Otto H. Falk estate. This expansive property on Crooked Lake seemed an idyllic setting for their plans. Located on 20 acres of lush rolling hills in the Kettle Moraine, underneath the shade of the towering oak trees and just steps away from the shores of the lake, the vision of Perpetual Help Retreat Centre began to take shape. In October, two years later, the first retreat was offered to 91 retreatants in the newly constructed building.
A retreat here is a time to turn off all the electric screens that take our attention, rest well, and listen to that voice of God speaking to us in the silence of our hearts. Away from the routines of work and hurry, free of distractions, we are better able to experience the peace of mind and heart we deeply desire.
Current retreat programs include weekend silent retreats for men and women, high school Kairos groups, religious groups and organizations of other denominations, weekend retreats for married couples, and recovery groups focusing on grief or alcohol recovery. Other offerings include contemplative retreats, Holy Week retreats and days of prayer throughout the year. Several weeks during the summer are devoted to retreats for religious women.
Looking Ahead
Fr. Ted Lawson, retreat centre director, is aware of declining attendance in the traditional retreat programs. While maintaining the existing program, he is working with an advisory group to form a mission of inclusion, ministering to those who for various reasons are distant from the Church. He is offering a welcome place to pray, not to hear how they fall short or do not measure up, but to know they are blessed and forgiven. That they are called to grace and love. Fr. Ted is also working on Zoom experiences for those who do not want to travel, plus more one-day retreats for focused groups.
Fr. Allan Weinert, C.Ss.R.
Source: denverlink, December 5, 2025
