Testimonies for the 2022 Avila Summit

"The Summit , a precious treasure. Thank you for all your sacrifices to unite & educate us with so many holy souls." ~ Donna V.

"The Summit was astonishingly good. It consolidated ground, already available on the web. When developing our understanding of spiritual warfare basics, its speakers (lay and clergy) brought their considerable experience to the teaching table and, more than once, I could hear gasps of deep appreciation at their combined and individual insights. More than worth its weight in gold. Thank you, Jesus." ~ Michael Moore, London, UK

"The Summit was way more than just fruitful for me - it brought me to some kind of re-awakening in my faith. I have been talking about it with many other people. It has become a vehicle for me to have discussions with people about faith, God, the afterlife. Y’all did a great job!" ~ Judy

Avila Summit Tickets 

The $395 per person registration fee includes meals and the Summit talks. You will also receive the recordings afterwards.

Cocktail Hour Tickets 

The Cocktail Hour is an exclusive time to spend with our speakers, priests, and the Avila team. Proceeds from the Cocktail Hour help support the High Calling Program for future priests. Tickets are $495 per person (please note that this is in addition to the Summit ticket).

Speakers include:

• Bishop William Cary: Bishop Cary entered Mount Angel Seminary in 1961, graduating from high school there in 1965 and from college in 1969. After a year of theology at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, in 1970 he took a leave of absence that lasted eighteen years. In that time he spent three years in a Chicago legal aid office as a VISTA volunteer, studied Spanish for a summer in Mexico, worked at a farm-worker medical clinic in California, and painted houses in Portland and Eugene. Involvement in parish ministry at St. Mary's in Eugene led him back to the seminary in 1988. He was sent to the North American College in Rome, where he received a Licentiate in Moral Theology from the Gregorian University in 1992, the year he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon on September 5. He served at St. Joseph's in Salem from 1992 to 1994, when he was named Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Portland and chaplain to the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in Beaverton. He was sent to Medford in 1998 and served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish until July 2011, when he was appointed pastor of St. Mary's in Eugene. Throughout his priesthood Bishop Cary has been involved in Hispanic ministry. Pope Benedict XVI named Father Cary, pastor of St. Mary Church in Eugene, Oregon, as Bishop of the Diocese of Baker on May 18, 2012. The Baker Diocese includes over 68,000 square miles in Oregon and has a population of 526,760 people, of whom 34,375, or seven percent, are Catholic. There are 36 parishes and 23 missions in the Diocese of Baker.
• Claire Dwyer: Claire works for the Avila Foundation as editor of spiritualdirection.com. She writes at eventhesparrow.com and speaks frequently on the topics of saints, spirituality, respect for life, and the mission and vocation of women. She has a passion for helping women see the beauty and possibility in their own interior lives and their unrepeatable place in the Church. Claire has a degree in Theology from Franciscan University and a graduate certification in Spiritual Theology from the Avila Institute. She is the author of “This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity.” Most importantly, she has been married for 23 years to her husband Delaney and they have six children: Joseph, John Paul, Mary Grace, Daniel, Gemma, and Justin, all of whom keep them on their toes – and on their knees.
• Fr. John Burns: Fr. John Burns is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and author of the bestselling book Lift Up Your Heart: A 10-Day Personal Retreat with St. Francis de Sales. Ordained in 2010, he has served as an associate pastor and pastor in Milwaukee as well as an adjunct professor of moral theology at the Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. He completed a doctorate in moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome in 2019. His doctoral research focused on the theology of healing through forgiveness. Burns speaks at conferences, preaches missions, and directs retreats throughout the country. He works extensively with the Sisters of Life and St. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, and has given retreats, conferences, and spiritual direction for the sisters in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
• Fr. Ignatius Schweitzer: Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer, O.P. is a Dominican priest of the St. Joseph (Eastern) Province. He was ordained in 2011. He spent six years living as a monk in a Carthusian monastery. He then returned to the Dominicans, discerning a strong call from the Lord to help others grow in the spiritual and mystical life. Upon returning, he completed his STL, writing on The Life, Light, and Fire of Triune Love: A Trinitarian Spirituality from Scripture, Aquinas, Ruusbroec, and John of the Cross. He is the prior of St. Catherine of Siena Priory in New York City.  He hopes to be of service to the Lord’s loving cry to souls and souls’ cry for the Lord: “Abyss calls to abyss!”
• Sr. Regina Marie Gorman: Sr. Regina Marie Gorman, O.C.D. was raised in Los Angeles where she entered Carmel in 1972. She holds a Masters in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. Sister is known for her tireless commitment to bring Jesus Christ to those with whom she works and serves. She has done this as Vicar General, Superior General, Directress of Novices, Junior High teacher, public speaker, and above all, as a friend and companion. Through the gift of the Carmelite charism, Sr. Regina Marie continues to invite countless people into the presence of the living God.

Accommodations 

For information on local accommodations, please click https://olamshrine.com/lodging/. Please note that you will need a car to get from your accommodations to the Shrine. 

La Quinta, Cullman - you can receive a 10% discount by mentioning AVILA

Transportation 

• Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport - 55 miles / about 1 hour to the Shrine
• Huntsville International Airport - 59 miles / about 1 hour 10 minutes to the Shrine
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - 178 miles / about 3 hours 20 minutes to the Shrine

When you register, you will also receive a free subscription to our SpiritualDirection.com e-newsletter. Just hit Manage Preferences at the bottom of the email to change what you want to receive or unsubscribe.