Retreats are designed for parishes who want to re-invigorate the enthusiasm of the congregation, help parishioners to connect faith in their daily life and live out the evangelizing purpose of parish. Retreats can be offered in a number of ways including: three consecutive evenings of the same week, on the same weekday over three consecutive weeks, or on a Saturday culminating with the evening liturgy. Each session includes time for prayer, presentation, discussion and an optional witness speaker from parish.
Sample retreat topics include:
Lent: The Road Less Traveled
We can blame the pace of life for why we lack time to enter fully into the holy season of Lent. Lent has become the road less traveled to Easter. Unless we arrive spiritually prepared, the bells of Easter joy ring hollow. The three sessions of this retreat address how to be renewed by the traditional spiritual disciplines associated with Lent so that Easter is filled with joy.
Session 1 - "The Prayers that God Hears" Although those whom we now consider to be spiritual giants were all people of prayer, prayer is not just for spiritual giants! Prayer is for all of us. But many do not pray because they still have questions about prayer including why God seems to hear some prayers and not others. This session addresses what, why, when, where and how of prayer.
Session 2 – “The Acceptable Fast” For many of us fasting during Lent has become a necessary though often irrelevant evil. Those who have given up candy each Lent only to enjoy the Easter binge of chocolate rightly question the good accomplished by fasting. Many Catholics today have forgotten what constitutes a fast acceptable to the Lord. Participants will learn about a fast, so pleasing, that it is worth continuing after Easter.
Session 3 – “The Secret of a Cheerful Giver” Almsgiving is a form of fasting, a form that some consider the hardest of all. When most people hear the word “almsgiving,” they think of money. We feel guilty whenever the topic comes up. We struggle with dilemmas like “Is money the root of all evil or is it an instrument for great good?” For many of us this is because we lack the secret of the cheerful giver. The Gospel is clear. No matter how wealthy we are, each of us has what it takes to be a cheerful giver. We only fail when forget what it means to be alms-giving.
or select another retreat on...
Challenge of Christian Living (for those seeking to live out faith in daily life)
- Living Faith at Work
- Living Faith in Family
- Living Faith Out in the World
Journey with Christ (for those deepening one's relationship with Christ)
- Who do you say I am?
- The Call to Discipleship
- Sharing Our Faith with Courage
Re-founding Church (for parish clusters)
- Re-founding our Faith in Christ
- Reconciling as One Body in Christ
- Pursuing the Unifying Purpose of a Catholic Parish
or a retreat for: fostering faithful families, aging with grace, nurturing faithful marriages, introducing small faith communities, using the Bible, Advent, etc.
For more retreat possibilities contact Office of Parish Life, 716-847-5531, Diocese of Buffalo 795 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14203 Fax: 716-847-2206