The Best Is Yet to Be A Retreat for Older Adults

Complete downloadable, reproducible retreat kit

Lead senior adults in your parish with this helpful resource that includes prayers, talking points, handouts, and discussion questions.  This is a wonderful way to minister and give back to those who do so much to support the parish community through their contributions of time, talent, and treasure.  Accompany your elders as they discern the next steps in their lives.

This time of reflection will help people in their maturing years to gather and reflect on some realities about getting older.

This guide includes six sections, with focus on:

• Different perspectives on "becoming old" and aging: what it is and what it doesn't have to be
• How to become active in the process of "eldering"
• How gratitude can focus you on your next steps
• Strategies for further and deeper growth
• Reflections on leaving a legacy for future generations
• An exercise for writing a personal "life creed"

This flexible process can easily be adapted to different situations:

• A full- or half-day parish retreat.
• A series of shorter, retreat-like events. For example, you could offer one core session per week over the course of six weeks, or on consecutive mornings or evenings.
• A self-guided personal retreat.
• An online retreat, gathering participants together in a closed group.