About Us
Our Mission
STIR (Spiritual Transformation in Recovery) Retreats offers transformative spiritual experiences to those in recovery from addiction and who have faced homelessness or precarious living situations.
Our Core Values
The STIR retreat honours and respects each person’s unique spiritual path. We understand homelessness as more than the absence of stable housing—it is also the loss of belonging, connection, and community. The retreat’s structure and activities have been refined over years of faithful practice, offering a trusted rhythm that supports healing and transformation.
In a peer-based setting, facilitators take part as fellow retreatants, sharing their own stories along the way. We listen with a contemplative heart, welcoming each person’s experience with acceptance and respect. Small-group conversations invite deep engagement, nurture trust, and spark a renewed sense of belonging.
Our Team
At STIR Retreats, our greatest strength lies in our dedicated community of trained, compassionate volunteers who walk alongside men and women breaking free from cycles of addiction and homelessness. Central to our retreats is the belief that spirituality plays a vital role in healing and transformation. To provide the best possible experience for our participants, we prioritize the ongoing formation and training of our volunteers through regular online and in-person formation sessions. This commitment ensures we all serve with clarity, compassion, and consistency, creating a safe and welcoming retreat environment.
Supporting this mission is a small but deeply committed leadership team. Our Executive Director manages daily operations, strategic planning, and resource coordination, while our volunteer Board of Directors provides high-level oversight and vision. Beyond retreat weekends, volunteers engage in meaningful leadership roles such as city leads, retreat coordinators, recruiters, facilitators, and witnesses. Others contribute their talents through formation, communications, and fundraising committees, which help to sustain and grow our work year-round.