Fr. Gary Coulter

Fr. Gary Coulter has served as Director of Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House (goodcounselretreat.org) for eleven years.  Previously he was pastor at St. Mary in Ashland and St. Joseph in Greenwood, Nebraska. His Theological Studies were at Mt. St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD and he was ordained a priest in 1999 for the Diocese of Lincoln (Nebraska). After three years of high school teaching and parish ministry in Lincoln, he did graduate studies in Canon Law at Santa Croce University in Rome.  He is director of Unbound ministry and also works in the marriage tribunal and as co-Vicar for Religious in the Diocese of Lincoln.  His personal website with lots of book recommendations is frcoulter.com.

Events with Fr. Gary Coulter

Unbound: Freedom in Christ with Fr. Gary Coulter (Aug 2024)
Open Dates

Unbound: Encounter Jesus in the gospels and experience the healing he brings with Fr. Gary Coulter Virtual Retreat with lifetime recordings includes 6 talks. Encounter the overwhelming love of God who can enter into the pains and wounds of life. Unbound retreat led by Fr. William Holoubek, held in conjunction with the Unbound Ministry of the Diocese of Lincoln, lincolndiocese.org/unbound.Unbound provides a safe and effective model that helps individuals respond to the Gospel and apply the Lord’s grace, love and truth by deeply listen to their own story and heart. Based on the book, Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance by…

eBook: The Beginning Steps of Prayer
Open Dates

RECEIVE A FREE EBOOK The Beginning Steps of Prayer Written by the Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House director, Fr. Gary Coulter, this eBook offers resources and explanations of different types of prayers, along with simple exercises to begin to cultivate or deepen your prayer life. An eight chapter “How to Pray” Prayer Series: The Beginning Steps of Prayer. By signing up, you agree to receive e-news from Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House, you can unsubscribe at any time. Watch for more guides to prayer emailed on the 10th of every month.

Ignatian Retreat: 8-Day (& 4 Days) March 13-21
March 13 - 21, 2025

We are also offering 4-day retreats. You can register below if you are not able to join us for the full 8-days: Mar. 13-17 – 4-day (Thurs-Mon) with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons Mar. 17-21 – 4-day (Mon-Fri) with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons 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.…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day March 13-17
March 13 - 17, 2025

We are also offering other options of 4-day and 8-day retreats. You can register for the date option of your choice: Mar. 17-21 – 4-day (Mon-Fri) with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons Mar. 13-21 – 8-day (Thurs-Fri) with Fr. Coulter 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 retreat…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day March 17-21
March 17 - 21, 2025

Are you a college student looking for a Spring-Break retreat? Use the coupon code: student16 for a 20% discount on Ignatian retreats! We are also offering other options of 4-day and 8-day retreats: Mar. 13-17 – 4-day (Thurs-Mon) with Fr. Coulter (waitlist) Mar. 13-21 – 8-day (Thurs-Fri) with Fr. Coulter (waitlist) 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…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day, 5-Day Holy Week Apr 13-17
Flexible Dates

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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as there are no common prayers or devotions outside of Mass and Exposition, and no social time as even the meals are taken in silence to continue the reflection and prayerful atmosphere.…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day April 30-May 4
April 30 - May 4, 2025

We are also offering other options of 4-day and 8-day retreats: May 4-8 – 4-day (Sun-Thurs) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons April 30-May 8 – 8-day (Wed-Thu) with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons 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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as…

Ignatian Retreat: 8-Day (& 4 Days) April 30-May 8
April 30 - May 8, 2025

We are also offering other options of 4-day retreats: Apr. 30-May 4 – 4-day (Wed-Sun) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter May 4-8 – 4-day (Sun-Thurs) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons 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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as there are…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day May 4-8
May 4 - 8, 2025

We are also offering other options of 4-day and 8-day retreats: Apr. 30-May 4 – 4-day (Wed-Sun) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter April 30-May 8 – 8-day (Wed-Thu) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter 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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day May 16-19
May 16 - 19, 2025

We are also offering other options of 4-day and 8-day retreats: May 20-23 (Tue-Fri) 4-day with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons/Jo Vasa May 16-23 (Fri-Fri) 8-day with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons/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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as there are…

Ignatian Retreat: 8-Day (& 4 Days) May 16-23
May 16 - 23, 2025

We are also offering 4-day retreats: May 16-19 (Fri-Mon) with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons/Jo Vasa May 20-23 (Tue-Fri) with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons/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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as there are no common prayers or devotions outside…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day May 20-23
May 20 - 23, 2025

We are also offering other options of 4-day and 8-day retreats: May 16-19 (Fri-Mon) 4-day with Fr. Barak/Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons/Jo Vasa May 16-23 (Fri-Fri) 8-day with Fr. Coulter/Matt Simmons/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 retreat is marked by a complete silence, as there…

Virtual & Commuter Ignatian Retreats: June 1-July 31
Flexible 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 31
Flexible 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…