Registration will open at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8, for a Healing the Whole Person conference that will be offered live and in-person in April.

The conference, grounded in Catholic teaching, will be offered April 11-13 at St. William Parish, Waukesha, in English with simultaneous interpretation in American Sign Language and Spanish.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has invited the John Paul II Healing Center to present the retreat, which typically sells out within a few weeks of opening registration.

Speakers include Dr. Bob Schuchts, author of “Be Healed”; Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T.; and Bart Schuchts, founder of Church on Fire.

“Healing the Whole Person is for those who desire healing, or to help others receive healing, within the Catholic Church,” said Margaret Rhody, Associate Director for Parish Renewal with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis. Past participants who have found Healing the Whole Person especially impactful include those who struggle with anxiety, depression, grief, anger, addiction, illness or patterns of sin they can’t seem to break, and those who wish to better accompany or minister to others who do.

This will be the fourth time the Healing the Whole Person conference is offered in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee since 2018. The John Paul II Healing Center is a Florida-based apostolate that presents conferences and retreats across the country.

In addition to the 650 participants who attended the last in-person conference in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 2022, the sold-out conference was livestreamed to viewers in 29 states and nine countries. Many of the presenters are known nationally and also will speak at the National Eucharistic Congress next summer in Indianapolis.

What can someone attending the conference expect? Each session begins with an opening prayer and worship music, followed by teaching from speakers, quiet time for personal reflection and prayer, and a simple shared prayer experience as a large group. While participants may choose to discuss their personal experience with a priest, retreat team member or someone accompanying them to the conference, small group discussion is not a formal part of the retreat.

The John Paul II Healing Center recommends the conference for adults 18 and older, due to speakers sharing parts of their stories including recovery from sexual abuse and addiction.

For more information on the John Paul II Healing Center and its team, go to http://jpiihealingcenter.org.

If you want to go:

  • What: Healing the Whole Person Conference
  • When: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11; 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 12; and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13.
  • Where: Catholic Community of Waukesha — St. William Parish, 440 N. Moreland Blvd.
  • Cost: $165 in person and $119 livestream.
  • Registration: Opens online 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8, and sells out within three weeks; https://jpiihealingcenter.org/event/hwp_41124/
  • Questions? More info is available at archmil.org/Healing-the-Whole-Person/Conference.htm. Registration questions and scholarship requests should be sent to the Archdiocesan Registration Team at JPIIRetreatMilwaukee@gmail.com.