I hope that I can be of service in my role as a Retreat Leader. My recovery retreats are themed around the questions; “Where am I ?- in relation to God, to myself and to the world” I address unmanageability and Faith, violence within ourselves and how it manifests in the world, Intimacy and Emotional Sobriety, and Forgiveness as a path towards bringing loving kindness into the world through the 12 Steps.
Throughout the Retreat, I weave my personal experience in recovery through the steps of AA, while referencing teachers such as Richard Rohr, Joan Chittister, Thomas Keating and Bill Wilson.
My credentials include:
Retreat Leader – 2008—present
Active in AA recovery continuously since 2/3/1977
Registered Retreat Leader – Matt Talbot Retreat Movement Inc.
MS- Mental Health Counseling – Licensed Professional Counselor, Maine
M Ed. – Public School educator 1980-2019
Eucharistic Minister, Prison Ministry, Social Justice and Peace Commission
@ St Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Fryeburg, ME
Recovery Coach Academy, Center for Addiction Recovery Training, August 2022
Registered Peer Recovery Coach, State of Maine 2023-25
Certificate, Pacifica Graduate Institute, “Aging as a Spiritual Practice” 2023
Experience as Retreat Leader
Annual Men’s Retreat – Living Water Spiritual Ctr, Winslow ME 2/08
Matt Talbot Group #15 – Holy Family Retreat Ctr, W Hartford, CT
12/2009, 5/2011, 12/2012
Matt Talbot Group #70 – Singing Hills Retreat Ctr. Plainfield NH 3/2014
Matt Talbot Group #17 – Villa Madonna, St. John’s, NB, Canada 10/2016
Matt Talbot Group#145 – Franciscan Guest House, Kennebunkport, ME
3/2013, 3/2017
Matt Talbot Group #27E – Holy Cross Retreat House, Easton, MA 9/2017
Matt Talbot Group #86 – Holy Cross Retreat House, Easton, MA 9/2017
Matt Talbot Group #41 – Sacred Hearts Retreat House, Wareham, MA 5/2018
Matt Talbot Group #16 – Port Sanilac MI 10/2018
Annual Brewster Men’s Retreat – Wareham, MA 01/2019
Matt Talbot Group #11 – Cormaria , Sag Harbor, NY 07/2019
Matt Talbot Group #127- Cathedral Camp and Retreat Center,
E. Freetown, MA 10/2019
Matt Talbot Group #86( see above )2/2020
Monday Night Men’s Group of Sarasota, Franciscan Center, Tampa FL 3/2020
Matt Talbot #76 – Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, NY 9/2021
Matt Talbot #86 (see above) 2/2022
Serenity Couples Retreat- Deep River CT 9/2022
Matt Talbot Group #33- Cormaria, Sag Harbor, NY 5/2023
St Edmund’s Men’s Retreat, Ender’s Island CT 8/23
Primary Purpose Men’s Group Retreat, Ender’s Island CT 9/23
Matt Talbot Group #42 – Franciscan Retreat House, Easton, PA 11/23
Matt Talbot Group #86 – Holy Cross Retreat House, Easton, MA 2/24
Matt Talbot Group #127- LaSallette Retreat Center, Attleboro, MA 3/24
Matt Talbot Group#33 – Cormaria , Sag Harbor, NY 9/24
Matt Talbot Group #86 – Holy Cross Retreat House, Easton MA 9/24
Matt Talbot Group#127-LaSallette Retreat Center, Attleboro, MA 10/24
Matt Talbot Group #33-Cormaria, Sag Harbor, NY 5/25
Matt Talbot Groups #1&97- Loyola Jesuit Center, Morristown, NJ. 7/25
Matt Talbot Group #5 – Holy Cross Retreat House, Easton, MA 1/26
References gladly supplied upon request.
Ed Stevens, BFA, M.Ed., MS, LPC
Ed has led numerous retreats for various groups over the last 18 years throughout the US and Canada. Although each Retreat has its own unique qualities, all have had the same basic theme; “Where are we in relation to ourselves, other people and God?”
Ed is enjoying a meaningful retirement from public education as teacher specializing in photography, and as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Art Therapist at a local residential treatment center for children. He recently completed a certification program at the Pacifica Graduate Institute on “Aging as a Spiritual Practice.” In addition to retreats, he has volunteered as a certified Recovery Coach at a local community recovery center. He is an active member of St. Joseph Parish in western Maine where he has served in prison ministry, as eucharistic minister, and along with his wife, as coordinator of the Social Justice and Peace Commission. He lives with his loving wife Kathleen in Center Conway NH with their 2 cats. stevensed48@gmail.com
UPCOMING RETREATS
JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 1, 2O26 – MATT TALBOT GROUP 109, BAY SPRING EPISCOPAL CENTER, TAMPA FL
MARCH 6-8 2026 –MATT TALBOT GROUP 70, SINGING HILLS CHRISTIAN CAMP, PLAINFIELD, NH
MARCH 27-29 – MATT TALBOT GROUP 16, LAKE HURON RETREAT CENTER, DETROIT, MI
JANUARY 8-10, 2027 – MEN’S AA RETREAT, MONSERRAT RETREAT HOUSE, LAKE DALLAS, TX
SELECTED READINGS
RECOVERY/NONVIOLENCE/SPIRITUALITY
Alcoholics Anonymous, fourth edition, 2001, AA World Services, Inc. N.Y.C
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, 1952, AA World Services, Inc. N.Y.C.
Undefended Love, Psaris and Lyons, 2000, New Harbinger Publication, Oakland,CA
Emotional Sobriety, The Next Frontier, 2006, The AA Grapevine, Inc., New York, NY.
The Language of the Heart, Bill W.’s Grapevine Writings, 1988, The AA Grapevine, Inc., New York, NY.
Breathing Under Water, Spirituality and the Twelve Steps, 2011, Richard Rohr, Franciscan Media, Cincinnati, Ohio
Everything Belongs – The Gift of Contemplative Prayer, Richard Rohr, 1999&2003, Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, NY.
Falling Upward-A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, Richard Rohr, 2011, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.
Houses of Healing A Prisoner’s Guide to Inner Power and Freedom, 1995, Casarjiam, Robin, M.A., The Lionheart Foundation, Boston, MA.
Hymns To An Unknown God, Awakening the Spirit in Everyday Life, 1994, Sam Keen, Bantam Books, New York, NY.
The Nonviolent Life, 2013, John Dear, Pace e Bene Press, Long Beach, CA.
Love in Action, Writings on Nonviolent Social Change, Thich Nhat Hanh, 1993, Parallax Press, Berkeley, CA.
I Don’t Want to Talk About It, Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression, Terence Real, 1997, Scribner, NYC NY.
Twelve Steps of Adult ChildrenWorkbook, 2008, ACA WSO Literature Distribution Center, www.adultchilden.org.
The 12 Steps A Way Out, Friends in Recovery, 2012, RPI Publishing, Inc., Scotts Valley CA
Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships, A collection of Al-Anon Personal Stories, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Virginai Beach, VA. Al-Anon.org
SPIRITUALITY OF AGING
The Way of a Pilgrim, R.M. French (translator), 1965, Quality Paperback Club, New York, NY.
The Spirituality of Age, Weber, Robert L., and Osborn, Carol, 2015, Park Street Press, Rochester, VT.
Goldmining the Shadows, Pixie Lighthorse, (Cherie Dawn Carr), 2022, Row House Publishing,
The Grace in Dying, Kathleen Dowling Singh, 2000, Harper Collins.
The Grace in Aging, Kathleen Dowling Singh, 2014, Wisdom Publications, Somerville, MA.
The Inner Work of Age, Shifting from Role to Soul, Connie Zweig, 2021, Park Street Press, Rochester, VT.
Faith After Doubt, Brian D. McLaren, 2021, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, New York, NY.
Spirituality and the Awakening Self, David Benner, 2012, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI.
The Gift of Years, Joan Chittister, 2008, BlueBridge, Katonah, NY.
The Five Invitations, Frank Ostaseski, 2017, Flatiron Books, New York, NY
On Grief and Grieving, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler, 2005, Scribner, New York, NY.
The Wild Edge of Sorrow, Francis Weller, 2015, North Atlantic Books, Berkely, CA.
The Four Things That Matter Most, Ira Byock, M.D., 2004, Free Press, NY, NY.
Radical Forgiveness, Making Room for the Miracle, Colin C. Tipping, 2002, Global 13 Publications, Marietta, GA.
Other Retreat Topics
THE SPIRITUALITY OF AGING
This retreat is for people of all ages. We will examine our beliefs about our external identity as we age. We will share our experiences with society’s views and biases towards ‘older people’. We will also explore and scrutinize our inner ageists to uncover our self-limiting beliefs and attitudes about how we “should” behave. Through prayer, journaling, group discussion, guided practice, and meditation, we will learn to access the sacred resources within us to gain greater compassion for ourselves and others. For some of us, this may be the start of the most exciting journey, towards deeper self-awareness as we travel within and connect with our true self, and begin the transformative process of becoming who we really are. Please bring a notebook and a pen, along with an open mind and an open heart.
RETREAT LEADER 