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Programs

Youth Leadership Development:  Middle School Retreats

 

A Knight’s Quest retreat series for boys calls young men to realize their personal area of gift, explore the challenges that a  “modern-day knight” faces, and construct a personal “coat of arms” to aid them in articulating the values that guide their lives.

 

Discovery Retreat Series for girls inspires participants to discover their inner beauty, identify their strengths, and identify their personal truth. As girls look beyond the external “wrappings” they discover the gift that lies within each person, identify the negative standards the media often sets for women, and are encouraged to hold themselves and  others with a sense of reverence and respect.

 

Breaking Down Bullying and Beyond the Label are retreats for co-ed audiences, which assist students in understanding the roles we all play in bullying and the importance of showing respect for self and others. Students are encouraged to stand up for their beliefs, and are empowered to be there for those classmates who need a friend. By breaking down student stereotypes and judgments , the young teens are motivated to relate to each other with empathy and compassion and to see the good in others.

PERSONAL, EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL PROGRAMMING

With an overarching mission of personal, emotional and spiritual development of Latinx individuals and families, Casa Romero’s programming focuses on empowering and inspiring participants to recognize their gifts, follow their dreams, and contribute to building the community around them. Aligned with this guiding approach, the youth programming is rooted in the conviction that every young person has the right to self-development and pursuit of their own sacred purpose. 

Youth Programming

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Foundation of support of Casa Romero's 2018-19 Programming

We would like to extend our appreciation to the following funders of Casa Romero's 2018-19 programming:

  • BVM Sisters of Charity Ministry Partnership Fund

  • Bader Philantropies

  • Catholic Community Foundation

  • City of Milwaukee Community Development             Block Grant

  • Erica P. John Fund

  • Gesu Parish Grant

  • Irish Fest Foundation

  • Koch Foundation

  • Knights of Columbus-Pere Marquette Foundation

  • Mary L. Nohl Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation

  • MPS Partnership for the Art & Humanities Fund

  • Racine Dominican Mission Fund

  • San Daminano Outreach Fund of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis

High School Programs:

 

The IGNITE Program offers holistic leadership development for teens through retreats, skill workshops, evenings of  reflection and practicum experiences. By enhancing participants’ understanding of personal gifts and talents, IGNITE empowers youth to employ these strengths in their relationships, service work and their dreams for their future.

Art & Activism Retreats are led by Casa Romero staff and a team of local artists, these retreats use the creation of murals as an exercise in collaborative group expression with the aim of advancing group cohesiveness, leadership skills, critical thinking, and artistic expression. As students reflect collectively on the concerns they have for their community, they are guided to formulate a group message that raises awareness and inspires positive change. The artist-facilitators work with their students to put an artistic voice to their message of justice and peace through the creation of group murals.

 

EMMAUS is a series of Life Mission Discernment Workshops for high school teens with the aim of guiding  students to discern their true calling.  Participants reflect on their passions, goals, and desires for themselves and identify the contributions they feel inspired to offer the human family.

           

Bridge-Builders Retreats inspire the creation of positive, culturally diverse communities. As participants explore the symbols, stories and role-models of their cultures,  they begin to define their personal and communal  identities. They gain cultural knowledge build awareness  of the inherent value that can be found in themselves and others, thereby  increasing mutual respect and appreciation for the richness of a  multi-cultural community.

 

Roots and Wings is a college-readiness retreat that prepares first generation young women of color for the unique environment and challenges they will encounter their freshman year. This retreats offers young women resources and information they will need to thrive in this new phase of their lives, empowering them to approach their “college  adventure” with self-awareness, wisdom, and courageous discernment.

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Family Programming

Canasta Llena

 

Our Canasta Llena retreat is a 4-session family program that strives to deepen the bond between parents and teens through a day of mutual sharing, ending with a "family resolution" for the betterment of the family.  In follow-up sessions, the family is invited to reflect on how they are doing in implementing their resolution and to   participate in a community service project, especially one that allows them to share their cultural and/or faith values.  Finally, the group reassembles to evaluate the experience and to celebrate.



La Quinceañera - Dreaming a Future of Hope

 

Casa Romero's premier retreat experience, featuring a day-long bilingual retreat experience for teen girls and their mothers that seek to prove a "sacred" environment for the participants to share together, to deepen their relationship and to strengthen their bond by focusing on intergenerational sharing of memories, wisdom, hopes and dreams.

 

A special opportunity for young women approaching their Quinceañera celebration with their mothers (or fathers/madrinas/abuelas or tías if mom is not available) to join us for a day of reflection, faith sharing, & dreaming together a future filled with hope.

To register, please call Casa Romero at 414-224-7564, ext. 5464.

Registrations are given on a first come, first serve basis and retreats fill up fast, so call as soon as possible!

 

*Retreat cost

$50.00 per Quinceañera

$50.00 for each attending adult

* Must be paid in advance of the retreat to secure your reservation. Fee payment accepted by mail or in person at Casa Romero's administrative office.

Women’s Abundance Retreats

 

One-day retreats held each summer that introduce themes of gratitude and blessing in a peaceful, nature-filled setting. It offers Latina women the opportunity to explore the blessings of living a life of mindfulness and purpose - abundant love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.

 

The Spiritual Journey of Motherhood Spring Program

 

This series of evening workshops take urban Latina moms on a spiritual journey empowering them to embrace their motherhood role as a sacred vocation. The workshops offer Moms the opportunity to build community, share their stories, and discover new ways to integrate their values and gifts into their family and community life. The Program culminates with a bilingual family celebration of graditude.

 

Themes of the 8-week program include:

  • Our Spiritual Journey as Mothers

  • Embracing a Healthy Sense of Self

  • Meditative Movement; Breath and Meditation

  • God is a River: A New look at Life’s Challenges – managing stress and anxieties

  • Respecting the Temple: Maintaining a Healthy Body

  • Reforming Anger: It's All Here to Teach Us

  • Drawing Strength from Our Role Models

  • Changing our Paradigm: Motherhood as a Ministry/ Anointing Our Call as Mothers

Follow-up Bilingual Evenings of Reflection  

 

Monthly gatherings offered to the women who completed the Spiritual Journey of Motherhood program, along with any friends or family members they wish to invite, who would like to explore holistic body-mind-spirit wellness for the purpose of relieving stress and anxiety.

Couples Enrichment Retreats

 

Each winter we hold two relationship-enrichment retreats for couples, one in Spanish and one in English, encouraging a healthy emotional relationship grounded in faith, peace, loving support, and healthy living.

 

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Spiritual Programming

Spiritual Formation programming at Casa Romero invites people to heal, to be grateful for life, and to deepen their faith. Enriched with Ignatian Spirituality, these programs guide participants to see God in everything, and have a strong component of community built through spiritual mentorship, equipping people to be faithful in their spiritual walk, and becoming true companions to others as they journey through life.

Acompañantes Espirituales is an ongoing program that offers monthly training and spiritual enrichment workshops for the ongoing formation of spiritual mentors, who in turn help facilitate other Spanish-language adult retreats at Casa Romero and throughout the Archdiocese.

 

Amar y Servir is a six week Lenten "retreat in daily life" experience, facilitated by our Acompañantes leaders, which gives the participant a taste of Ignatian Spirituality through personal reflection and small group sharing .

Ponerse A Caminar is a Spanish-language retreat series also facilitated by Casa Romero's Acompañantes retreat leaders, designed to deepen participants' prayer life and introduce them to concepts of Ignatian Spirituality.

Spanish-language Preached Retreat is a retreat co-sponsored by Casa Romero and the Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, following the major themes of Ignatian Spirituality and emphasizing silence and contemplation as a means to adopt a prayerful attitude and practice.

We also offer:

  • Individual Spiritual Direction - Adult Spiritual Mentoring

  • Days of Reflection for Parish Groups

  • Holistic Wellness - Body/Mind/Spirit Healthy Living Workshops

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Urban Immersion Program

Urban Plunge

 

Casa Romero’s Urban Plunge experiences develop cultural sensitivity and awareness of urban issues through reflection, prayer,  service projects and agency visits. An Urban Plunge is perfect for:

 

  • Parish Groups

  • Campus Ministry Programs

  • High School and College Students

  • Anyone eager to learn about justice and solidarity 

  • Hunger and Homelessness

 

Groups examine more critically two issues those living in poverty are forced to face, homelessness and hunger. Groups reflect on the poverty rates of different demographics of people  in an urban population, examine cultural stereotypes associated with living in poverty.

Immigration

 

Groups will critically examine the obstacles immigrants face when applying for United States Citizenship and lawful permanent residency. Groups will reflect on common misconceptions regarding immigration. Groups will understand the Catholic Social Justice principle, human dignity, as it relates to just treatment to all individuals regardless of their immigrant states.

 

Environmental Issues

 

Groups understand how our faith calls us to be stewards of the earth and care for Creation. Groups are educated on food justice and recognize the many ways they can contribute to beautifying their local neighborhoods.

 

Domestic Violence

 

Domestic Violence is an unbiased pandemic which is prevalent all over the world. Groups engage in discussion about the commonalities and differences in domestic violence across various cultures.

 

To register, please contact Sr. Jean Ellman at 414-224-7564, ext. 5469.

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Summer Programs

Art Club is a follow up program further exploring the themes of the middle school retreats, offered as an after school program or a  two-week summer camp. Art Club teaches middle school girls how visual artists explore, represent, and envision identity and personal voice through contemporary, culturally responsive approaches to making art.

 

For more information, contact Andrea Lira at 414-224-7564, ext. 5466.

Soccer Camp is a one-week athletes camp which guides participating boys to understand their own self-worth as team members, learn to use self-awareness, conscience, imagination, and willpower as agents in decision-making, and develop an appreciation for the important role of education in their lives.

 

For more information, contact Carlos Beltran at 414-224-7564, ext. 5463.

Comunidad de Amigos Music Camp is a two week summer camp that builds on students’ natural gifts of writing and performance. Using musical elements of the traditional Mexican folklore this camp empowers middle school students to be positive agents of change. Students grow in self-awareness and practice aspects of critical judgment as they explore their outer and inner environment. The final days of the camp they write and record an original musical piece which they perform for the community.

 

For more information, call 414-224-7564.

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