A year ago I asked if Clay and Leah Miller at Paradise Ranch if they would be interested in hosting a men's retreat. Sure enough. They had desired, in a real way, to give back to God what He had given them. After months of discernment and preparation, we made the Paradise Ranch Men's Retreat happen.
Nestled on the eastern slope of the Bighorn Mountains, Paradise Ranch has been helping guests have fun for over 100 years. It was a real privilege for us to be able to take advantage of the natural beauty, cozy accommodations, and genuine hospitality for our first annual Catholic Cowboy Way Men's Retreat.
The chapel was completed in 2004 in memory of Sam Pope, a former employee who died young. It overlooks the iconic Fan Rock.
Didn't take much to get it fixed up for our Catholic liturgical purposes.
The cabins were equally as accommodating. Good stuff.
We gathered about 30 men for this shindig, some from as far away as Louisiana.
The retreat was a hybrid between silent and social. A few talks a day and plenty of time for prayer and conversation.
The chapel was a good 1/4 mile away, and on top of a hill. We made this jaunt at least three times a day.
We spent about as much time in the cafeteria.
This place is professional. They closed for the summer last week, but kept a crew on hand to serve our needs. Beautiful.
Everywhere you turned, there was something that drew you closer to God.
One afternoon, my buddy Lance from Louisiana, gave us his testimony and a little horse demonstration. Powerful stuff.
That evening, the PR team treated us to a picnic in the pavilion.
Friday afternoon, my buddy Darin ran up the first batch of my newly released book: The Catholic Cowboy Way of Prayer. I'd been working on this project for the last three years. Good to have completed and in hand. I went with an independent publishing house. I'm hopeful that it will be helpful. Great timing to have for our CCW retreat. You can get it at Barns and Noble if you like.
Saturday afternoon was time for recreation. Our talks were all centered around listing to God's voice in our hearts. This recreation afternoon was in an effort to listen to God's voice in our humanity. Some of the boys went hiking.
Many of us went fishing.
French Creek goes right by Fan Rock.
Adam was my PR fishing guide.
He helped me land my first fish with a fly rod.
Most of the guys went horseback riding. PR runs about 100 horses.
After our recreation day, they kicked the horses out to pasture for the fall. Cool stuff.
Most retreat centers serve the best food first and once the guests have had their fill, an inferior food. Not Paradise Ranch, they saved the best meal for last! Thanks Clay.
Money.
On Sunday, we invited all those involved with the operation of the Ranch to join us for Mass. Beautiful.
30 men signed up and 30 men showed up. A Good time was had by all.
One final pool picnic to close out our time together.
Amazing. This retreat was truly a win-win. All the men, including myself, had a rejuvenating retreat. We just seemed to be surrounded by God's presence. So tuning in to His voice in our hearts and humanity, was no problem. I think the PR staff had just as Good of time. Nice little cool down after a pretty wild summer.
Many plants were planted on this retreat. The talks sowed the seeds, the silence granted germination, the camaraderie watered the soil and God provided the growth. Hopefully we can keep this garden tended to when we get back home. I'm hopeful. These boys take their faith seriously. Watch-out world, Cowboy Catholicism is coming to town! Let's ranch.
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