EUREKA SPRINGS — Sophia House is an opportunity for Catholic couples and families to experience the beauty of the Ozarks in an unique way. Nestled near the Kings River, the home and chapel provide a retreat from a hectic lifestyle and to return to the peace and quiet of nature.
Sophia House is an outgrowth of three families from Indianapolis who were the original founders of The King of Glory community in 1979 in northwest Arkansas.
David Reuter, a second generation member of the community and licensed counselor, along with his wife, Jane, have established the retreat house six miles from Eureka Springs to afford Catholic couples and families a place to come together.
“In the late 70s my parents and two other couples from Indianapolis were part of a prayer group, Channel of Peace, there in Indiana,” David Reuter said. “At that time people were making an effort to create Christian communities around the nation, around the world. These three couples came here, purchased 100 acres here on the Kings River and then invited two other couples who eventually joined them.”
Jane Reuter said, “We owe much gratitude to Dad and Mom Reuter for our presence here in Eureka Springs. Dad Reuter became a deacon for the Diocese of Little Rock under Bishop (Andrew J.) McDonald. They helped with the running of the Little Portion Retreat Center in the mid 1980s. His parents were very involved with Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, Charismatic Renewal and prayer groups. They led the way and we followed.”
Today the Reuters have created Sophia House, a place of prayer on the property, in conjunction with David Reuter’s work as a licensed Christian marriage and family therapist. Recently, Reuter formed a non-profit organization, The Center for Peace in the Family, www.peaceinthefamily.org.
According to the Reuters, their motivation is based on Pope John Paul II’s 1981 apostolic exhortation, “On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World.”
“This was the vision that the Lord gave David to reach out to families,” Jane Reuter said. “We wanted to have a place where families could come and be family — to get away from all the stress, all the noise, all the distractions and to celebrate being family. That is our hope.”
The Center for Peace in the Family offers a variety of resources and support for Christian marriages and families. For those couples interested in a retreat for marriage counseling, David Reuter is available for couple counseling sessions and individual counseling sessions. These appointments, in person or by telephone, can be made on the Web site.
In Sophia House, which sleeps six to eight people, there is a plaque over the front door that reads “Be still and know that I am God.” It conveys the spirit and the purpose of the place. A library contains classic books, children’s books, religious books and board games. It also holds a telescope for star-gazing in the wide expanse of night sky in the Ozarks. A television is available to watch DVDs and video cassettes.
Meals are not provided to visitors, but the kitchen is fully equipped. Near the kitchen door, Jane Reuter keeps a basket of treats, along with basic spices, olive oil and a variety of teas. From the front door, there is a view of the mountains and a trail down to a private beach access on the Kings River.
Perhaps the jewel of the experience is the small blue chapel located near Sophia House. The windows on both sides of the altar bring in the outdoors.
As a second generation family, David and Jane Reuter have raised three children on the King of Glory property — Matthew, 23, Rachael, 22, and Monica, 11.
The two adult children are pursuing their own careers and Monica is home-schooled.
The Reuters, who live near Sophia House, are members of St. Anne Church in Berryville. One of the parish events, the Fathers and Sons Campout, has taken place over the years on the Kings River. Last year’s event in June brought together about 20 participants.
David Reuter said, “We usually start on Thursday to snorkel for crawdads nightly. Then on Sunday we boil them up and the women and daughters come together with us and we have a big feast. We have a priest who says Mass either down by the river or in our chapel on Sunday for us.”
David and Jane Reuter met in college where they were both psychology students at The College of Steubenville, now called Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Ohio.
After their graduation in 1975 and wedding in 1979, David Reuter obtained his master’s degree in marriage, family and child therapy at Loma Linda University in California.
The couple returned to Steubenville where David Reuter was in private practice at Alverna Retreat Center. There he was involved in developing and leading marriage enrichment retreats. The couple decided to join the other families at the King of Glory community where they have lived since 1990.
They now continue the traditions of their community through the establishment of Sophia House as a retreat house and the Web site as an outreach for Catholic families.
“David and I feel called by God to spread his peace,” Jane Reuter said. “We respond to this call as individuals/family very much in need of Christ’s peace ourselves. Through our own immediate family and our large extended families’ daily challenges and crosses, we know first hand all too well the difficulty in maintaining that peace needed to grow and remain a happy family.
“Intercessory prayer is at the heart of our outreach. We hope God will use us to restore peace in the family through counseling, prayer, friendship and the offering of Sophia House as an opportunity to celebrate or rediscover being family.”
For more information, call Jane Reuter at (479) 253-6917 or e-mail her at JaneReuter@earthlink.net.
