Fr. Rick Ganz, SJ, vice president for community relations and faculty member, will lead a retreat for women religious of the Archdiocese of Seattle July 16 through 22, 2012.

Fr. Ganz will give 12 one-hour talks on the theme God is Far Better Than We Imagine, as well as celebrating Mass daily.

"One of the interesting aspects of this retreat is that it is for any women religious of the Archdiocese of Seattle — essentially western Washington from the Canadian border down to Vancouver, Washington," Fr. Ganz said. An estimated seven to 10 different religious orders will be represented, he added.

Asked to expand on the theme, Fr. Ganz wrote:

"One's capacity to know a person, and in this case a Divine Person, is profoundly conditioned by what beforehand we imagine that person might be. One of the key reasons why God became human was to give to us a much richer and more accurate set of images about what He is like, and why God acts as He does. This retreat develops how Jesus, and what he did, is a richer and more accurate set of images that help us think about, and to know God more truly. And knowing God more truly regularly entails being startled at how much better God is than we had imagined Him to be."

The retreat will be held at The Archbishop Alex J. Brunett Retreat and Faith Formation Center at The Palisades in Federal Way, Washington. For more information, visit the center's website.