Book Discussion Group for Working Professionals: Workplace as Worthplace
Book Discussion Group for Working Professionals: Workplace as Worthplace
Open Dates
Retreat Highlights
- retreats, spiritual direction, conferencing
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Travis Salisbury serves as Director of Mission Advancement (since 2022) and Director of the Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery (since 2024), where he advances strategic vision, donor engagement, volunteer development, and spiritual programming grounded in Benedictine values. An Oblate of St. Paul’s Monastery since 2015, Travis previously spent nearly two decades at The Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis in liturgical ministry and served as Director of Liturgy and Adult Faith Formation at St. Richard Catholic Church in Richfield from 2009–2012. His ministry is shaped by a deep commitment to hospitality, beauty, and contemplative presence in service of the Church and the wider community.
Details of this retreat
Book Discussion Group for Working Professionals: St. Benedict’s Guide to Improving your Work Life, Workplace as Worthplace.
Discover a meaningful way to nourish your spirit and transform your work life by joining our 12-week lunch-hour book group and retreat experience based on St. Benedict’s Guide to Improving Your Work Life: Workplace as Worthplace. Each week invites you into practical, uplifting conversation rooted in Benedictine wisdom—helping you reimagine your daily work as a place of purpose, dignity, and spiritual growth. Whether your “workplace” is an office, a ministry, a home, a pause, or a caregiving role, this series will offer gentle insights, shared reflection, and a supportive community to help you find greater balance, meaning, and joy in daily living. All are welcome—come as you are, bring your lunch, and give yourself the gift of a sacred pause in the middle of your week.
Details:
Tuesdays, 11:45am-12:30pm (April 21-July 7)
Cost $25 (Book is $11, $14 covers the program)
Facilitated by Travis Salisbury, OblSB
Schedule:
Week 1: The Workplace Context (April 21)
Exploring the landscape of modern work—its pressures, possibilities, and the deeper questions beneath our daily labor.
Week 2: Work as a Calling — Maturity and Stability (April 28)
Discovering a grounded vision for work: what it means to approach our tasks with purpose, rootedness, and resilience.
Week 3: Working Together — Work and Community (May 5)
A vision at work that honors collaboration, shared mission, and the bonds that sustain healthy workplaces.
Week 4: The Golden Rule in the Workplace — The Dignity of Our Colleagues (May 12)
Practical ways to embody respect, compassion, and justice in everyday interactions.
Week 5: Enlightened Leadership and Decision-Making (May 19)
Reflections for those who guide others: fostering vision, transparency, and wisdom in organizational life.
Week 6: The Art of Listening — The New Obedience (May 26)
The employee’s path of attentive presence, active listening, and wholehearted contribution.
Week 7: Openness to Creativity — The Spirit of Curiosity (June 2)
Cultivating wonder, imagination, and the freedom to innovate.
Week 8: The Pursuit of Excellence — Building Worth (June 9)
How Benedictine values invite us to offer our very best—not perfection, but wholehearted craftsmanship.
Week 9: Being Present vs. Presenteeism (June 16)
Understanding the difference between true attention and merely showing up; nurturing presence that matters.
Week 10: Being True to Self and the Roles We Play (June 23)
Exploring authenticity, vocation, and the integration of who we are with what we do.
Week 11: The Big Picture — Employee Engagement and Organizational Excellence (June 30)
Seeing how individual contributions weave together into a flourishing whole.
Week 12: Crafting Our Own “Rule for Life” (July 7)
Drawing on the wisdom of the series to reflect on our work lives and shape a personal Benedictine-inspired framework for the future.
Book Author/Study Guide: Michael Rock of St. Benedict's Guide to Improving Your Work Life
Michael Rock is a retired professor with a Doctorate in Adult Education from Indiana University. He has been a professor and consultant in human relations, organizational behavior, business ethics, and emotional intelligence studies for over 35 years. His work has been recognized with a Doctorate in Adult Education from Indiana University. Rock's book, "St. Benedict's Guide to Improving Your Work Life," is a result of his seven-year study of workplace disengagement and his personal life journey.
Discover a meaningful way to nourish your spirit and transform your work life by joining our 12-week lunch-hour book group and retreat experience based on St. Benedict’s Guide to Improving Your Work Life: Workplace as Worthplace. Each week invites you into practical, uplifting conversation rooted in Benedictine wisdom—helping you reimagine your daily work as a place of purpose, dignity, and spiritual growth. Whether your “workplace” is an office, a ministry, a home, a pause, or a caregiving role, this series will offer gentle insights, shared reflection, and a supportive community to help you find greater balance, meaning, and joy in daily living. All are welcome—come as you are, bring your lunch, and give yourself the gift of a sacred pause in the middle of your week.
Details:
Tuesdays, 11:45am-12:30pm (April 21-July 7)
Cost $25 (Book is $11, $14 covers the program)
Facilitated by Travis Salisbury, OblSB
Schedule:
Week 1: The Workplace Context (April 21)
Exploring the landscape of modern work—its pressures, possibilities, and the deeper questions beneath our daily labor.
Week 2: Work as a Calling — Maturity and Stability (April 28)
Discovering a grounded vision for work: what it means to approach our tasks with purpose, rootedness, and resilience.
Week 3: Working Together — Work and Community (May 5)
A vision at work that honors collaboration, shared mission, and the bonds that sustain healthy workplaces.
Week 4: The Golden Rule in the Workplace — The Dignity of Our Colleagues (May 12)
Practical ways to embody respect, compassion, and justice in everyday interactions.
Week 5: Enlightened Leadership and Decision-Making (May 19)
Reflections for those who guide others: fostering vision, transparency, and wisdom in organizational life.
Week 6: The Art of Listening — The New Obedience (May 26)
The employee’s path of attentive presence, active listening, and wholehearted contribution.
Week 7: Openness to Creativity — The Spirit of Curiosity (June 2)
Cultivating wonder, imagination, and the freedom to innovate.
Week 8: The Pursuit of Excellence — Building Worth (June 9)
How Benedictine values invite us to offer our very best—not perfection, but wholehearted craftsmanship.
Week 9: Being Present vs. Presenteeism (June 16)
Understanding the difference between true attention and merely showing up; nurturing presence that matters.
Week 10: Being True to Self and the Roles We Play (June 23)
Exploring authenticity, vocation, and the integration of who we are with what we do.
Week 11: The Big Picture — Employee Engagement and Organizational Excellence (June 30)
Seeing how individual contributions weave together into a flourishing whole.
Week 12: Crafting Our Own “Rule for Life” (July 7)
Drawing on the wisdom of the series to reflect on our work lives and shape a personal Benedictine-inspired framework for the future.
Book Author/Study Guide: Michael Rock of St. Benedict's Guide to Improving Your Work Life
Michael Rock is a retired professor with a Doctorate in Adult Education from Indiana University. He has been a professor and consultant in human relations, organizational behavior, business ethics, and emotional intelligence studies for over 35 years. His work has been recognized with a Doctorate in Adult Education from Indiana University. Rock's book, "St. Benedict's Guide to Improving Your Work Life," is a result of his seven-year study of workplace disengagement and his personal life journey.
Schedule
prayer, meals, workshops
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Directions
There are many buildings near the corner of Larpenteur and Century Avenues. Events and retreats are hosted at St. Paul's Monastery. Please be sure to check your destination is set to St. Paul's Monastery, 2675 Benet Rd, St. Paul, MN 55109. Call 651.777.8181 for assistance.
Directions
From I-94
Take Century Avenue (Hwy 120) exit.
Go North 3 miles to Larpenteur Avenue.
Turn left. Monastery Way is the first right. Go straight to get to St. Paul's Monastery.
From I-694
Take Century Avenue (Hwy 120) exit.
Go South 4 miles to Benet Road, just before the light at Larpenteur Avenue.
Turn right. St. Paul's Monastery is visible on the right.
From Hwy 36
Take Century Avenue (Hwy 120) exit.
Go South about 2 miles to Benet Road.
Turn right. St. Paul's Monastery is on the right.
Directions
From I-94
Take Century Avenue (Hwy 120) exit.
Go North 3 miles to Larpenteur Avenue.
Turn left. Monastery Way is the first right. Go straight to get to St. Paul's Monastery.
From I-694
Take Century Avenue (Hwy 120) exit.
Go South 4 miles to Benet Road, just before the light at Larpenteur Avenue.
Turn right. St. Paul's Monastery is visible on the right.
From Hwy 36
Take Century Avenue (Hwy 120) exit.
Go South about 2 miles to Benet Road.
Turn right. St. Paul's Monastery is on the right.
Accommodation
Book Discussion Group: Book cost and Program fee
What's Included
- meals
What's Not Included
- travel
Last Chance