Before You Do Anything Else: Reclaiming Prayer as Relationship 
May 21, 2026

A retreat day for catechetical leaders whose prayer lives have quietly become another place of pressure rather than rest. This day creates space to name the hidden lies we carry about prayer – what it should look like, how it should feel, and how easily our work for the Church can replace time with the Lord. 

Through reflection, Scripture, silence, and sacramental prayer, participants are invited to encounter prayer again as honest relationship rather than performance or obligation. This is not a retreat about learning new methods or fixing spiritual habits, but about letting Jesus meet us where we actually are and gently restore prayer to its rightful place at the heart of our lives.

Mareda is an independent association of catechetical leaders in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Downloadable resources from burning hearts

Be Healed 
(Dr. Bob Schuchts)

  
Time For God
(Jacques Philippe)

 Prayer & Temperament
(Chester P. Michael)

 
Love & Responsibility (Karol Wojtyla)  
 
God the Father Loves You - YouTube
(Ascension Press)

   
You Are God's Beloved - Audio Download (Kristin Bird) 
The Heart of Prayer - Podcast   
(Fr. Éamonn Bourke) 

If you would like to talk to someone about hosting a parish mission, retreat or parent event, please don't hesitate to contact us.