Course Description:

The Theology of the Body Institute is excited to partner with Desert Stream Ministries for a unique and immersive healing and training opportunity. In this five day retreat, you will experience a compacted version of the Desert Stream Ministries flagship “Living Waters” program — an opportunity to apply the content of Theology of the Body personally and practically. The week will include:

 

3 daily sessions with dynamic teaching on topics such as:

  • The Father’s plan and design for our identity, and learning walk it out personally and concretely;
  • Identifying blocks to gender and sexual wholeness, and addressing wounds and struggles with addiction, abuse, early roots of brokenness, etc.;
  • Understanding and offering our gender gift to the “other”;
  • Restoring our unique dignity as man and woman;
  • Inspiring the Church to become a beautiful and healing space for men and women with sexual and relational brokenness;

2 daily small groups with focus on receiving prayer in specific areas of growth and integration.

 

All our week-long retreats include:

  • Five days of learning & interactive lecture (30 hours of master’s level instruction)
  • Daily Mass, adoration, and confession
  • Accommodations & delicious meals at Black Rock Retreat Center
  • Gorgeous grounds to soak in God’s natural beauty
  • Optional round trip shuttle from Philadelphia International Airport

Meet Your Instructors

Andrew Comiskey

Andrew Comiskey.(M.Div.) has worked extensively with the healing of the sexually and relationally broken.  He is the Founding Director of Desert Stream/Living Waters Ministries, a multifaceted outreach to the broken.  Andrew’s ministry grows both out of his own commitment to overcome homosexuality and his experience as a husband to Annette, father of four children and grandfather to five grandkids.  He is author of Pursuing Sexual Wholeness (Creation House), Strength in Weakness (InterVarsity Press), Naked Surrender: Coming Home to Our True Sexuality (InterVarsity Press) and the Living Waters healing program.  Andrew seeks to equip the Church to be whole and holy, a bride ready to receive Jesus.  Andrew serves at St. Thomas More Parish in Kansas City, Missouri.  After over four decades in ministry, Andrew still loves receiving and extending mercy to sexual sinners like himself.

Abbey Foard

Abbey Foard (M.A., LPC) has worked in healing ministry for over a decade. Having discovered the power of Christ-in-Community to heal and bring orthodox formation in her own life, she is committed to offering the same for others. Abbey is currently the Executive Director of Desert Stream Ministries in Kansas City, MO, equipping the Church to offer healing to persons with sexual and relational brokenness. Also being licensed as a Professional Counselor (LPC), Abbey maintains a private practice in Kansas City. In all her efforts, she is passionate about seeing people made fully alive in areas of their sexuality and relationships—specifically through encountering the God who has woven His divine nature in all aspects related to gender, sex, love, and intimacy.

Marco Casanova

Marco Casanova (M.Div.) completed Philosophical and Theological studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.  After having left priestly formation, he joined the Desert Stream Ministries team.  Now as Assistant Director of the ministry, he works closely with Andrew Comiskey in the healing of the sexually and relationally broken, both nationally and internationally.  Marco serves at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Westport, Missouri.  Passionate to provide avenues of healing for young adult Catholics in Kansas City and beyond, he is eager to equip the faithful to do the work of this ministry.