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:

                           ♦  Monthly Spiritual Direction: Currently Accepting Applications

                           ♦ Spiritual Chats: Available upon request, please email

                           ♦ Spiritual Exercises in Everday Life (SEEL): Check back in Spring 2025!

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

Healing Your Soul Monthly Gathering on November 13!

Relating More Effectively with Others
Doing Our Internal Work to Deepen Our Relationships

The Spirituality Center at St. Monica
7:00
Wednesday, November 13

RSVP

 
My parts and your parts walk into a bar…
 
This could be the start to a funny joke, tragic story or great adventure.
 
Working with our own parts is hard enough. Trying to ease an inner critic, slow a speedy problem solver, or soothe a painful hurt – they all need our attention. Putting in the inner work of turning toward, being with and inviting love for our parts is the pathway to give them the healing they need.
 
Then they come out and interact with other people. And guess what? Those other people have their parts too. Parts that carry pain, parts that try to manage that pain and parts that react when the pain breaks through.
 
So it’s me and my parts meeting up with you and your parts. What can we do to improve the odds that it’s more of a great adventure than a tragic story?
 
Relating more effectively with others…
 
At our November Monthly Gathering, we will talk a look at some of our reactive parts that show up in relationships. We’ll delve into the brain science behind it. We’ll see how our reactivity fuels the tension. And we’ll see how turning towards those reactive parts with compassion can fuel the connection.
 
Then we will identify some of the key features in being present to others, and how this mirrors the work we do in being present with our own parts.
 
As always, we’ll put this into practice through a guided meditation, time for reflection and discussion.

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 23 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 4 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 2024

Online HERE

Upcoming Levanté 1 Retreats

         November 7-20
         December 5-18

Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

           November 7-20
         December 5-18

Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats

            November 14-27
           December 12-25

Upcoming Levanté 4 Retreats

              November 21-December 4

                December 19-January 1

• 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 three 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

   November 7-20
   December 5-18

  
  

  Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

  November 7-20
  December 5-18
  
  Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats
  November 14-27
  December 12-25
  
  Upcoming Levanté 4 Retreats
  November 21-December 4

  December 19-January 1

• 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:

                           ♦  Monthly Spiritual Direction: Currently Accepting Applications

                           ♦ Spiritual Chats: Available upon request, please email

                           ♦ Spiritual Exercises in Everday Life (SEEL): Check back in Spring 2025!

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

 

Healing Your Soul Monthly Gathering on November 13!

 

 

 

Relating More Effectively with Others
Doing Our Internal Work to Deepen Our Relationships

The Spirituality Center at St. Monica
7:00
Wednesday, November 13

RSVP

 
My parts and your parts walk into a bar…
 
This could be the start to a funny joke, tragic story or great adventure.
 
Working with our own parts is hard enough. Trying to ease an inner critic, slow a speedy problem solver, or soothe a painful hurt – they all need our attention. Putting in the inner work of turning toward, being with and inviting love for our parts is the pathway to give them the healing they need.
 
Then they come out and interact with other people. And guess what? Those other people have their parts too. Parts that carry pain, parts that try to manage that pain and parts that react when the pain breaks through.
 
So it’s me and my parts meeting up with you and your parts. What can we do to improve the odds that it’s more of a great adventure than a tragic story?
 
Relating more effectively with others…
 
At our November Monthly Gathering, we will talk a look at some of our reactive parts that show up in relationships. We’ll delve into the brain science behind it. We’ll see how our reactivity fuels the tension. And we’ll see how turning towards those reactive parts with compassion can fuel the connection.
 
Then we will identify some of the key features in being present to others, and how this mirrors the work we do in being present with our own parts.
 
As always, we’ll put this into practice through a guided meditation, time for reflection and discussion.

 

 

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 23 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 4 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 2024

Online HERE

 

Upcoming Levanté 1 Retreats

         November 7-20
         December 5-18

 

Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

           November 7-20
         December 5-18

 

Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats

            November 14-27
           December 12-25

 

Upcoming Levanté 4 Retreats

              November 21-December 4

                December 19-January 1

 

 

• 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 three 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

   November 7-20
   December 5-18

  
  

  Upcoming Levanté 2 Retreats

  November 7-20
  December 5-18
  
  Upcoming Levanté 3 Retreats
  November 14-27
  December 12-25
  
  Upcoming Levanté 4 Retreats
  November 21-December 4

  December 19-January 1

• 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.