Celebrating three decades of grace-filled service bringing visitors closer to the Lord in its majestic and peaceful setting, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center (OLPH) in Venice held its annual Butterfly Ball fundraiser Jan. 24, 2026, at the St. Thomas More Parish Chelsea Center in Sarasota. This elegant evening included live and silent auctions, dinner, live music, a DJ and dancing.
Father Greg Cleveland, Oblate of the Virgin Mary, current OLPH Director, offered the opening prayer for event. Father Cleveland cited Bishop Frank J. Dewane for his “steadfast support for everything we do.” Father also recognized the presence of several honored guests, including Sister Carmella DeCosty, SNJM, who was one of the founders of the retreat center, working there from 1999 to 2013, as well as Father J.J. McCarthy, O. Carm., who served as Spiritual Director for several years before retiring in 2014.
The keynote was offered by Father Shawn Monahan, OMV, who helped facilitate the Oblates coming to lead OLPH in 2014, serving as the director for a year. Father Monahan reflected on a chance meeting with Bishop Dewane at a conference, crediting that meeting with starting the process of bringing the Oblates of the Virgin Mary to OLPH. He described how transformative the experience has been for the religious order and for the many people who “come to the waters.” Citing Isaiah 51, Father noted how people come to OLPH because they are thirsting for something in their soul, a spirituality that can only be found in a place which offers the opportunity for deep reflection.
“We find this calling in the Catechism (of the Catholic Church),” Father Monahan said. “The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking water: there, Christ comes to meet every human being. Christ comes to meet us at the water of OLPH.”
OLPH has been staffed by priests of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary since 2014, and they encourage retreatants with a hope springing from a keen sense of the goodness and mercy of Jesus Christ. The Oblates devote themselves to dispensing the Lord’s healing love, especially through spiritual direction, the Sacrament of Penance, and the proclamation of truth. They bring the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises to OLPH. The Exercises release the power of the Spirit, helping retreatants recognize and develop their gifts while growing in faith, hope, and love. Saint John Paul II described the Spiritual Exercises as the lungs, or oxygen, of the spiritual life for souls and for Christian communities.
Nestled between a natural preserve and the Myakka River, OLPH is cradled by God’s creation – nature itself – a sanctuary where guests encounter peace, prayer, renewal and God. Construction for OLPH as the main Diocesan retreat center began at the behest of Bishop John J. Nevins in 1995 and initially included a conference center, villas, dining center, offices, and a chapel. Today, in addition to the seven buildings on-site, retreatants are invited to spend time enjoying the beauty of the grounds which include the Way of the Cross, the Rosary Walk, a shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, as well as prayer decks overlooking the riverbank – offering a place for peaceful contemplation.
To learn how to support OLPH, or to register for a retreat, please visit www.olph-retreat.org or call 941-486-0233.
