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

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: 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.…

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…

Unbound: Freedom in Christ with Fr. Gary Coulter
August 22 - 23, 2025

Unbound Retreat with Fr. Gary Coulter Go here for info on the Virtual Option to Watch Online Retreat starts Friday with rosary and Mass at 8:00pm, ends Sunday with Noon lunch. Open your heart and respond more fully to Jesus’s invitation of abundant life.  See lincolndiocese.org/unbound for more about Unbound Ministry. Based on the book, Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance by Neal Lozano, the retreat will help uncover the lies that have kept one from God and from His mercy. Unbound ministry prayer teams will be available on the retreat, to pray with participants using the five keys. Retreatants are asked to have read…

Ignatian Retreat: 4-Day August 25-29
August 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…