Hello Folks!
I am happy to talk to you today in our first edition of this new monthly newsletter. It’s a fresh way for The Cloisters on the Platte to stay in touch, share updates, and strengthen our community, replacing the Weekly Meditation emails we have been sending. We will continue to send weekly retreat status updates to everyone on our standby list, ensuring that you stay informed of where you fall on our wait list.
We’ve made several important internal changes recently – some of which were highlighted in our annual video update this past April. These include:
- Appointing my son, Todd Ricketts, as Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Naming Laura Shupe as the Executive Administrator of the Cloisters
- Hiring Kara Wesely as our Director of Development
Please join me in welcoming Todd, Laura, and Kara to their roles. You’ll likely hear from them in the near future, and I encourage you to extend to them the same kindness and generous support you’ve always shown me.
I am proud to share that 2024 was a transformational year for The Cloisters on the Platte. For the first time we moved from an annual operating deficit to a surplus. While modest, this surplus is an important milestone – it signals that we are maturing as an organization, setting us up to achieve many great things in the years to come.
That transformation was made possible because of each of you. You answered the call and stepped up as owners of this retreat center and because of that, our retreat donations have increased nearly 15%. We remain humbled and thankful to you for your dedication to the Cloisters mission.
While we are proud to have reached this milestone, I am regularly reminded that our campus is now eight years old. While eight years may not seem lengthy at face value, we are already experiencing wear and tear – giving this whole idea of maturing a different feel. We anticipate many upcoming projects to address some of the wear and tear involving building maintenance, furniture, equipment, etc. We will keep you informed as these projects progress and ask that you consider these new concerns when making your financial contributions.
Amidst all this change and transformation, I remain grateful to God. He is the reason we’re here and is at the root of this change. St. Ignatius said it best, “The result of all our actions is transformation, by the grace of God.”
With Sincere Gratitude,
