TO GET STARTED or FOR MORE INFORMATION  

Christine A. Gerety, Ph.D., Director of Spiritual Care & Engagement:  | (310) 566-1531

Welcome to the Spirituality Center at St. Monica Catholic Community! We are glad you are here with us. The Center opened in August of 2021 through the vision and leadership of the late Fr Dave Ayotte. The Center exists to provide opportunities for individuals to deepen their relationship with Christ through a variety of experiences based on Catholic spirituality.

       Discover New Ways to Deepen Your Relationship with Christ

                        Important Dates:

                           ♦ Montly Spiritual Direction: Currently Accepting Applications

                           ♦ Spiritual Chats: Available upon request, please email

                           ♦ Spiritual Exercises in Everday Life (SEEL): Registration is now closed.

                           ♦ Giving The Exercises (GTE): Stay Tuned For More Info

Healing Your Soul! Levanté 3 with Fr. Fish Is Now Available!!

It's Time for Healing Your Soul with Dr. Michael Di Paolo!

Join us in person for our next Monthly Gathering
 Wednesday, September 13, at 7 p.m. in the Spirituality Center Chapel, or

for the Healing Your Anxious & Depressed Soul on Saturday, October 21!

RSVP for either or both events to Christine at or 310-566-1531.

September 13 Monthly Gathering

The Healing Your Soul Monthly Gatherings with Dr. Michael DiPaolo meet the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Spirituality Center. Each evening has a standalone presentation, guided meditation, time for reflection and discussion. All are welcome! 

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Spirituality

got Catholic guilt? Sometimes our hard working parts sound more like the scribes and Pharisees telling us to do the right thing. They bombard us with a list of “shoulds” that will bring us closer to God. Yet they leave us feeling guilty, ashamed, or confused, with a need to be perfect or pleasing, and ultimately more distant from God.

Join us for the Healing Your Soul Monthly Gathering this Wednesday evening as we explore how to develop a more authentic spirituality that can relieve some of that Catholic guilt and bring healing to this well-intentioned yet burdened “Spiritualizer” part.

Healing Your Anxious & Depressed Soul Retreat
Saturday, October 21

Prayer or Prozac?… or Both?...

The struggles of life lead to depression and anxiety in millions of people every year, and recent surveys show those numbers increasing.  If you have found yourself stressed, anxious or depressed, you are not alone – and you are welcome here.

Misconceptions abound about what these experiences are and how to deal with them.  Healing Your Anxious & Depressed Soul will integrate the spiritual and psychological, providing a fresh approach to both understand and help our anxious and depressed parts.

The retreat will provide you the opportunity to get to know your internal family of parts, focusing especially on those which carry anxiety and depression. You’ll be invited to slow down and cultivate the capacity to be emotionally present to those vulnerable parts within you. As Paul tells us, “The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor.” (Romans 12: 22-23)

Through a series of presentations, meditations, and time for personal reflection, you will be guided through a process to explore and bring healing to burdened parts of you and connect more fully with your core self and God.

The retreat will…

• help you connect more deeply with your Imago Dei – your Core Self which is created in the image and likeness of God and is the place from which healing is possible.
• provide a holistic framework for understanding anxiety and depression, including its physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational aspects.
• engage you in the Contemplative Internal Family Systems model which integrates the wisdom of contemplative spirituality with the psychological approach of Internal Family Systems (IFS) to safely get to know your anxious and depressed parts.
• offer you three invitations to bring healing to your burdened anxious and depressed parts.

Dr. Michael DiPaolo is a clinical psychologist & certified Imago Relationship Therapist in private practice in West Los Angeles.  Dr DiPaolo integrates psychology and spirituality into his work with individuals and couples.  He has been active in many ministries as a St. Monica member for over 25 years, including  counseling over 1,500 couples in marriage preparation.  Dr. DiPaolo is a frequent speaker, workshop presenter and retreat leader at parish and archdiocesan gatherings.  Dr. DiPaolo has been married to his wife Jennie for 21 years. They have 3 wonderful children, along with a hyperactive dog. He can be found online at www.DrMichaelD.com.

Levanté with Fr. Michael Fish, OSB, Cam.
Levanté 3 Is Now Available!!

St. Monica is so excited to offer our community opportunity to find out more about Fr. Michael Fish's Levanté Retreats! Fr. Michael, a retreat master and beloved speaker at St. Monica, has created an innovative video retreat series that can be done at home, inspired by his most recent pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. 

Fall 2023

Online HERE

Upcoming Levanté 1 Retreats

            September 7-13
        October 5-11

Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

             September 14 - 20 

          October 12-19

Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats

              September 21-27

        October 19-25

• More about Levanté

   

  Levanté focuses on how simple everyday events hold valuable lessons for living life in the “now.” Retreatants will learn how viewing each day as a separate, distinct experience can reveal simple, easily overlooked opportunities for us to live more fully in the present and in the presence of the Divine. And Michael's remarkable gift of storytelling and metaphor to show us how these experiences can hold the key to opening our hearts!

   

  Currently there are two Levanté Retreats. Both are stand-alone retreats that include five unique sections, each focusing on a different "day." You can do the Levanté Retreats in any order (e.g., you can do Levanté 2 before Levanté 1, or Levanté 3 before Levanté 1). 

   

  Upcoming Levanté 1 Retreats

  September 7-13
  October 5-11

  
  

  Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

  September 14 - 20
  October 12 - 19

         Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats

           September 21 - 27
           October 19 - 25

• To register for a Levanté Retreat or to get more information,
  visit the Levanté website 

  From the Levante website:

   

  Fr.Michael Fish, OSB. CAM, is a Camaldolese monk who has created over a dozen popular retreats and has decades of experience as a retreat master and spiritual guide. Michael’s popular retreats are unique, engaging inspirational experiences. He has a gift forintuiting the complexities and distractions that impinge on our ability to call on our own spirituality for comfort and contemplation. Michael has an engaging personality, freely displaying his own vulnerabilities and foibles. His past retreats have explored such topics as Contemplative ways of being, Finding our inner monk,Thomas Merton – Hermit Pilgrim, preparing for Holy Week and Celtic spiritually.

 

TO GET STARTED or FOR MORE INFORMATION  

Christine A. Gerety, Ph.D., Director of Spiritual Care & Engagement:  | (310) 566-1531

Welcome to the Spirituality Center at St. Monica Catholic Community! We are glad you are here with us. The Center opened in August of 2021 through the vision and leadership of the late Fr Dave Ayotte. The Center exists to provide opportunities for individuals to deepen their relationship with Christ through a variety of experiences based on Catholic spirituality.

 

       Discover New Ways to Deepen Your Relationship with Christ

 

                        Important Dates:

                           ♦ Montly Spiritual Direction: Currently Accepting Applications

                           ♦ Spiritual Chats: Available upon request, please email

                           ♦ Spiritual Exercises in Everday Life (SEEL): Registration is now closed.

                           ♦ Giving The Exercises (GTE): Stay Tuned For More Info

 

Healing Your Soul! Levanté 3 with Fr. Fish Is Now Available!!

 

 

 

It's Time for Healing Your Soul with Dr. Michael Di Paolo!

 

Join us in person for our next Monthly Gathering
 Wednesday, September 13, at 7 p.m. in the Spirituality Center Chapel, or

for the Healing Your Anxious & Depressed Soul on Saturday, October 21!

RSVP for either or both events to Christine at or 310-566-1531.

 

September 13 Monthly Gathering

 

The Healing Your Soul Monthly Gatherings with Dr. Michael DiPaolo meet the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Spirituality Center. Each evening has a standalone presentation, guided meditation, time for reflection and discussion. All are welcome! 

 

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Spirituality

got Catholic guilt? Sometimes our hard working parts sound more like the scribes and Pharisees telling us to do the right thing. They bombard us with a list of “shoulds” that will bring us closer to God. Yet they leave us feeling guilty, ashamed, or confused, with a need to be perfect or pleasing, and ultimately more distant from God.

Join us for the Healing Your Soul Monthly Gathering this Wednesday evening as we explore how to develop a more authentic spirituality that can relieve some of that Catholic guilt and bring healing to this well-intentioned yet burdened “Spiritualizer” part.

 

Healing Your Anxious & Depressed Soul Retreat
Saturday, October 21

 

Prayer or Prozac?… or Both?...

The struggles of life lead to depression and anxiety in millions of people every year, and recent surveys show those numbers increasing.  If you have found yourself stressed, anxious or depressed, you are not alone – and you are welcome here.

 

Misconceptions abound about what these experiences are and how to deal with them.  Healing Your Anxious & Depressed Soul will integrate the spiritual and psychological, providing a fresh approach to both understand and help our anxious and depressed parts.

 

The retreat will provide you the opportunity to get to know your internal family of parts, focusing especially on those which carry anxiety and depression. You’ll be invited to slow down and cultivate the capacity to be emotionally present to those vulnerable parts within you. As Paul tells us, “The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor.” (Romans 12: 22-23)

 

Through a series of presentations, meditations, and time for personal reflection, you will be guided through a process to explore and bring healing to burdened parts of you and connect more fully with your core self and God.

 

The retreat will…

• help you connect more deeply with your Imago Dei – your Core Self which is created in the image and likeness of God and is the place from which healing is possible.
• provide a holistic framework for understanding anxiety and depression, including its physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and relational aspects.
• engage you in the Contemplative Internal Family Systems model which integrates the wisdom of contemplative spirituality with the psychological approach of Internal Family Systems (IFS) to safely get to know your anxious and depressed parts.
• offer you three invitations to bring healing to your burdened anxious and depressed parts.

 

Dr. Michael DiPaolo is a clinical psychologist & certified Imago Relationship Therapist in private practice in West Los Angeles.  Dr DiPaolo integrates psychology and spirituality into his work with individuals and couples.  He has been active in many ministries as a St. Monica member for over 25 years, including  counseling over 1,500 couples in marriage preparation.  Dr. DiPaolo is a frequent speaker, workshop presenter and retreat leader at parish and archdiocesan gatherings.  Dr. DiPaolo has been married to his wife Jennie for 21 years. They have 3 wonderful children, along with a hyperactive dog. He can be found online at www.DrMichaelD.com.

 

 

Levanté with Fr. Michael Fish, OSB, Cam.
Levanté 3 Is Now Available!!

 

St. Monica is so excited to offer our community opportunity to find out more about Fr. Michael Fish's Levanté Retreats! Fr. Michael, a retreat master and beloved speaker at St. Monica, has created an innovative video retreat series that can be done at home, inspired by his most recent pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. 

 

Fall 2023

Online HERE

 

Upcoming Levanté 1 Retreats

            September 7-13
        October 5-11

 

Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

             September 14 - 20 

          October 12-19

 

Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats

              September 21-27

        October 19-25

• More about Levanté

   

  Levanté focuses on how simple everyday events hold valuable lessons for living life in the “now.” Retreatants will learn how viewing each day as a separate, distinct experience can reveal simple, easily overlooked opportunities for us to live more fully in the present and in the presence of the Divine. And Michael's remarkable gift of storytelling and metaphor to show us how these experiences can hold the key to opening our hearts!

   

  Currently there are two Levanté Retreats. Both are stand-alone retreats that include five unique sections, each focusing on a different "day." You can do the Levanté Retreats in any order (e.g., you can do Levanté 2 before Levanté 1, or Levanté 3 before Levanté 1). 

   

  Upcoming Levanté 1 Retreats

  September 7-13
  October 5-11

  
  

  Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

  September 14 - 20
  October 12 - 19

         Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats

           September 21 - 27
           October 19 - 25

• To register for a Levanté Retreat or to get more information,
  visit the Levanté website 

  From the Levante website:

   

  Fr.Michael Fish, OSB. CAM, is a Camaldolese monk who has created over a dozen popular retreats and has decades of experience as a retreat master and spiritual guide. Michael’s popular retreats are unique, engaging inspirational experiences. He has a gift forintuiting the complexities and distractions that impinge on our ability to call on our own spirituality for comfort and contemplation. Michael has an engaging personality, freely displaying his own vulnerabilities and foibles. His past retreats have explored such topics as Contemplative ways of being, Finding our inner monk,Thomas Merton – Hermit Pilgrim, preparing for Holy Week and Celtic spiritually.

 

Programs & Resources

• Spiritual Chats
• Retreats
• Ignatian Resources
• Speakers

Click Here to Support the Work of the Spirituality Center.