Spiritual Direction is an opportunity for individuals to take time with a companion to take notice of the way God is present in daily life. St. Stephen's has 4 trained spiritual directors who companion you on your journey of faith. These individual sessions usually meet twice a month for 30-40 minutes according to your schedule. If you would like more information and want to schedule an appointment, please contact Fr. Ken

RCIA The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the process by which people become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church. It is based on the process used by early Christians to initiate unbaptized persons into the Christian community. However, it has been adapted to meet the needs of persons who have been baptized in another Christian tradition and seek to become Catholic and persons who have been baptized Catholic but who have not received First Communion or Confirmation.

The RCIA process begins when a person expresses an interest in knowing more about the Catholic faith tradition. At St. Stephen the Witness these people begin to meet together in September and are given an opportunity to ask questions, tell their own faith stories, listen to the stories of others and to discover in what ways God is already present in their lives. They also learn the central beliefs of the Catholic Church.

The process culminates in the celebration of sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.

Contact Fr. Ken Glaser for more information.

Pre-Marriage Seminars (Pre Cana) are offered at St. Stephen the Witness three times a year. Engaged couples from throughout the diocese gather on a Friday evening and Saturday to hear presentations on a variety of subjects designed to help couple experience the realities of marriage. Some of the areas of focus at the St. Stephen Pre-Marriage Seminars include communication, marriage as a covenant, financial aspects of marriage and theology of sexuality.

Contact Fr. Ken Glaser for more information.

"G.I.F.T." groups meet once a week and reflect on scripture and how it relates to everyday life. GIFT groups give students a great opportunity to meet people and talk about their faith. Consider joining a Gift group! Groups meet on Sunday at 7:30pm,Monday at 7pm, Tuesday at 7:30pm, and Wednesday at 7:30pm. For more information contact Rebecca Thayer, Peer Minister. Times TBA.

Have you ever wondered how you are suppose to live your life? We have two groups of women and men who are interested in exploring life's questions. These sessions are informal and open to people who have questions and want to share with others. These gropus meet monthly. If you have any questions or need more information please contact Fr. Ken Glaser at kjglaser@ststephenuni.org. Consider the Possibility!

Taking time away to spend quality time with God is an essential component in one's spiritual life. St. Stephen's offers two weekend experiences where you get away from the hustle and bustle of college life to focus on your relationship with God.

• Antioch
  is a retreat for college-aged students who have never made a college retreat before. It is held Camp Pine Lake in Eldora about 45 minutes from Cedar Falls. Antioch is a great opportunity to look at your life in college and ask where God is present? This student lead retreat of talks, personal reflection and group interaction allows you to listen to your own heart and share your joys and struggles in faith with other college students. The next Antioch weekend is February 23 & 24. Cost is $40.00. Scholarships are available. Click here for a list of this year's Antioch participants.
• Busy Person's Retreat
  This retreat has a different format than other retreats. It is a non-gathered retreat, individually made with each participant assigned to their own spiritual director. The retreat spans 5 days. We gather Sunday evening for prayer, and an explanation of the retreat. This is the evening that everyone participating in the retreat is assigned a spiritual director for the week. If you sign on for the retreat, your commitment is to: read the scripture passages designated each day; pray with them for 30 minutes; set up appointments with your spiritual director (this happens Sunday night); and meet with your spiritual director for 30 minutes each day. This commitment is meant to be flexible to fit your schedule, and to nurture your prayer life and spiritual self. We do gather at the end of the retreat, with an evening of gathered prayer to share and compare experiences of the week with the rest of the community.

For more information on retreat opportunities please c Fr. Ken.