Sarina Stokes
Sarina has been on a life-long journey marked by an ever-deepening trust in God’s plan. Sarina grew up and went to college in Arizona, where she abundantly encountered the Lord’s mercy.
Sarina served with FOCUS from 2019-2021 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After her missionary years, she followed the Lord’s call to book a one-way ticket to Europe and become a pilgrim.
She came back to the US and returned to Lincoln, which had been such “a well” for her during her time as a missionary. It was there in 2022 that she made a private vow consecrating her heart, mind, body and soul to Jesus.
Sarina then took a pioneering position at Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House, serving in a new position as its Outreach and Ministry Coordinator, working as the retreat house’s marketing specialist, planning youth retreats, offering spiritual direction and prayerfully discerning what formation is most needed.
The “Back to the Garden” retreat is about allowing women to encounter Jesus’ mercy in that place of woundedness, like Mary Magdalen did in the garden after the Resurrection. Sarina hopes women will walk away with a newfound sense of Jesus as bridegroom and beloved.
“Your heart is the garden, it’s the indwelling of God,” Sarina explained. “This is what you’ve been made for, but there’s a place of woundedness in the feminine heart that really ruptures our relationship with Jesus.”
Events with Sarina Stokes
Virtual & Commuter Ignatian Retreats: June 1-July 31Flexible Dates
What does it mean that this is for Virtual and Commuter retreatants? Virtual Ignatian Retreats are done from home, retreatants will have a daily individual meeting with a retreat director by video or phone. Commuter Ignatian Retreats can come out to the retreat house to pray and have their daily meetings. You can pick any dates and length of 3-8 days as works for your schedule, although 4-day and 8-day are typical lengths. Your commitment is to: Each day, schedule 4 Ignatian prayer times of about an hour each each day and journal about the movements that occurred there (usually…
Busy Person Retreats (Online): June 1-July 31Flexible Dates
Online Retreat for Busy Persons Do you struggle to make time for prayer in your daily life? Perhaps you’ve wanted to make a retreat in the past but didn’t have the time to get away. What if you could make a retreat without having to leave your home or take off from work? The Busy Person’s Retreat gives you that opportunity! A daily directed retreat specifically designed for people of all ages with hectic schedules, allowing you to dedicate time to prayer and reflection while still fitting the experience into your busy life. Flexible schedules and shorter daily commitments compared…
Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day August 25-29August 25 - 29, 2025
We are also offering other 4-day and 8-day retreats. To register for other date options go here: Aug. 25-Sept. 2 – 8-day (Mon-Fri) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Sarina Stokes/Jo Vasa Aug. 29-Sept. 2 – 4-day (Fri-Tues) with Fr. Barak/Sarina Stokes/Jo Vasa (Labor Day) What is the Silent Directed Ignatian Retreat for Men or Women? Ignatian Retreats, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, are also known as directed retreats. The heart of the Ignatian Retreat involves spending four or five prayer periods each day in meditation on scripture. Thus the real director of an Ignatian Retreat is the…
Ignatian Retreat: 8-Day (& 4 Days) Aug. 25-Sept. 2August 25 - September 2, 2025
We are also offering other 4-day retreats. To register for other date options go here: Aug. 25-29 – 4-day (Mon-Fri) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Sarina Stokes/Jo Vasa Aug. 29-Sept. 2 – 4-day (Fri-Tues) with Fr. Barak/Sarina Stokes/Jo Vasa (Labor Day) What is the Silent Directed Ignatian Retreat for Men or Women? Ignatian Retreats, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, are also known as directed retreats. The heart of the Ignatian Retreat involves spending four or five prayer periods each day in meditation on scripture. Thus the real director of an Ignatian Retreat is the Holy Spirit. The…
Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day Aug. 29-Sept. 2August 29 - September 2, 2025
We are offering 4-day and 8-day retreats. You can register for the date option of your choice: Aug. 25-Sept. 2 – 8-day (Mon-Tues) with Fr. Barak/Sarina Stokes/Jo Vasa Aug. 25-29 – 4-day (Mon-Fri) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Sarina Stokes/Jo Vasa What is the Silent Directed Ignatian Retreat for Men or Women? Ignatian Retreats, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, are also known as directed retreats. The heart of the Ignatian Retreat involves spending four or five prayer periods each day in meditation on scripture. Thus the real director of an Ignatian Retreat is the Holy Spirit. The…
