Contemplative Retreat
We invite you to join us September 18-20th, 2026
Come away with a small community of fellow pilgrims to Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Temple, TX for a spiritual retreat —> rest, movement, meditation, life-giving rhythms, creativity, connection, nourishing meals, and a beautiful setting in the woods of north central Texas.
Theme: “Caring for Ourselves, Building Community”
We invite you to join us September 18–20 for a weekend away with a small community of fellow pilgrims. A retreat built around a truth we keep relearning: we cannot pour ourselves out for others from a place that's empty. Caring for our neighbors and caring for ourselves were never two separate callings. They're the same slow, relational work.
Over the weekend, Dustin will guide us through the movements together, group rhythms, liturgy, shared meals, rest, time outside, and silence and solitude for those who want it. Alongside the rhythms, he will lead a few teaching sessions centered on this retreat’s theme: what it means to care for ourselves so that we can build healthy, lasting community.
We hope to cultivate a space for us to center ourselves in God’s loving presence and discover (in the context of community with fellow pilgrims) a deeper sense of clarity, compassion, curiosity, and calm.
The Details
Hosts:
Dustin Hite is a spiritual director, husband to a Swiftie, and a father of two. He has training in Ignatian spirituality and has been leading contemplative retreats for a more than a decade. He loves to create spaces of deep presence, peace, and reflection.
Cost: $365
Includes: 2 nights lodging in private room, 5 catered meals, drinks, snacks, access to Cedarbrake’s Lodge, brand-new chapel and grounds with trails to explore, outdoor sit spots, prayer labyrinth, and countless stars on a clear night.
Next Steps:
We are hoping to finalize registration by September 10th. Questions? Contact Dustin
Fill out this form and then you can Venmo Dustin here or make 4 payments of $95.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
- Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 (Message)
“And yet the soul, despite its toughness, is also essentially shy—just like a wild animal. It will flee from the noisy crowd and seek safety in the deep underbrush. If we want to see a wild animal, we know that the last thing we should do is go crashing through the woods yelling for it to come out! But if we will walk into the woods quietly and sit at the base of a tree, breathing with the earth and fading into our surroundings, the wild creature we seek may eventually show up.”
— Parker Palmer