Next Retreat: To Be Announced
Pictures from past December Men's Retreats
The Faith and fitness: growing in health and holiness
Join us on the Saint Louis Abbey and Priory High School campus on Friday, Dec. 27th, 2024 for a day of building your physical and spiritual health with fitness coach and owner of REDDY Health & Performance, Dave Reddy, and St. Louis Abbey priest, monk, and fitness enthusiast, Father Athanasius Soto.
We’re excited to share this upcoming retreat experience, and we promise to challenge you physically and spiritually in a fun and supportive group setting.
Participants check in at the monastery around 7:45 am. After a morning of movement assessments, agility, calisthenics, and discussion, we will attend Mass, enjoy a catered high-protein lunch, and continue into the weight room and finish with stretching and mobility exercises around 2:30 pm.
The retreat will include opportunities for personal reflection, movement, customized assessments and programming, discussion, and journaling, with time for prayer with the St. Louis Abbey monks, as we discuss and experience the following:
Growing in holiness:
- exploration of the four “biological virtues” and how to practice each daily,
- discussion of how St. Thomas Aquinas’ powers of the soul apply to physical health and fitness,
- discussion of the purpose of training for physical health to improve spiritual health.
- morning prayer (Lauds) with the monks and Mass before lunch.
Growing in health and fitness:
- understand resting heart rate and zone training for optimal cardiovascular and long-term fitness goals,
- a joint-by-joint functional movement assessment to build orthopedic resiliency,
- weight room and body weight training time with tips for any gym or home training program, and
- customized longevity and soft tissue mobility practice tips.
The Faith and Fitness Men's Retreat on Dec. 27th has been postponed. Please follow us online on Facebook and Instagram and I will be posting the next event soon.
God bless you and keep moving!! Thanks, Dave
Retreat Leaders
Father Athanasius Soto, O.S.B.
Father Athanasius, a Catholic priest and monk from St. Louis Abbey, teaches advanced statistics at St. Louis Priory High School and serves as the school's guest master, monastic bursar, and sacristan. Father Athanasius is a passionate fitness enthusiast whose struggle with obesity in his youth and adolescence inspired him to improve not only his physical but also his spiritual well-being. Father will discuss the significance of having a well-ordered self-love and how practicing the biological virtues of our created animal nature can help you align with the Creator Himself. Motto: Anima sancta in corpore sano. ("A holy soul in a healthy body.")
Dave Reddy, MS, CSCS, CSPS
Along with being the owner of REDDY Health & Performance and a fitness trainer, Dave is also the director of Webster University's undergraduate Exercise Science curriculum, the creator of the CatholicFIT PE program, and the athletic director of Chesterton Academy in St. Louis. Over the past few years, Dave has been exploring the intersection of his Catholic faith and personal fitness, which he believes has strengthened both. Dave is a weekend warrior who trains to keep up with the young guys on the basketball court, whether he is coaching or playing. These days, he uses his virtual workshops, retreats, and PE programs to share this journey.
FAQ's
Do I have to be in shape to attend this event?
All fitness levels are welcomed, as the goal is ti provide tips for starting and staying on track with a sustainable, daily fitness practice customized to you.
Can I bring my son to the event? If so, how old does he have to be?
Yes, after many inquiries, a father and son registration option was added. College-aged, young men and older best fit the format of the day, but if you high school son is aware of his body, interested in the discussion, and is OK getting up and moving with some older guys, then please bring him along too. We plan to create a program specifically for fathers and sons in the future.
Are we going to be exercising during the day, or mostly discussing faith and fitness?
Yes, we will ebb and flow between theological, philosophical and research-based discussions for living a healthy and fit lifestyle, with several opportunities for training. We will practice “good posture”, elevate your heart rate as we discuss zone training, go through a weight room workout modified for all levels, practice some core training, and more.
What should I wear to the retreat?
Wear comfortable clothes you would go to the gym in. Sweats with shorts and a t shirt underneath if we break a sweat. We will be getting on the floor, doing stretches and more so whatever is most comfortable for you in that regard.
Thank You!!
Thank you to the Saint Louis Abbey and Priory High School for hosting the very first CatholicFIT Men’s Retreat: The Faith and fitness: growing in health and holiness.
The Saint Louis Abbey address is:
500 South Mason Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63141
Schedule a visit or find out more at:
vocationsdirector@priory.org
