Parish Men's Retreat
October 21 - 23, 2005
The following are some of the thoughts of the men who were on retreat this year at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center.
When thinking about my feelings regarding the retreat, the first thing I feel is a sense of peace. This from walking in Friday evening, to the ending brunch on Sunday. Each year no matter the circumstances of my life, the weather or what ever, that peace is there. This year I must be getting old, however, as my room was on the first floor of the retreat house. Next year there will be two new elevators to access all the areas, so besides my age I could have a wheelchair. The workshops are relevant to our modern society, the liturgy is inspiring and the music something special. Can you picture 150+ older Catholic men singing? When it comes time to leave for home, I'm already looking to next year. Perhaps I'll see you there?
The men's retreat each year is always a welcome time to get away from the bustle of our busy lives, and reflect on the most important part of our lives, our relationship with God, our families, and even our own self.
Each year, no matter what the theme of the retreat might be, both the formal talks and the informal contacts with the retreat personnel, are always very positive. I always come away with a greater realization of the blessings in my life. God has done all the work. He loves us, he sent his Son, and has made us his very own sons and daughters. We have done nothing to deserve this. And no matter how we have lived our lives, it doesn't matter. All we have to do is open ourselves to him and accept the gift of his love.
This year I came away with two particularly strong insights. The first came from one of the workshops, which was given by a lay psychiatrist on the topic of "Faith and Mental Illness". He pointed out that there is a very high suicide rate for white men over the age of 65, as compared with women and black men of this age. Two of the causes he attributed this to were the stress of retirement and the stress of losing a spouse.
Retirement is especially difficult on white men because we tend to make work too big a part of our life, and when it is gone it appears there might not be much left to live for. And, when we are in a crisis because of this or when a spouse dies, we do not reach out easily to others.
I personally have found how important it is to reach out to others in times of crisis. This has been an indispensable part of my coping skills.
The second insight came in Brandon Nappi's final talk on Sunday titled, "Christian Hope". Two summary quotes from his talk are:
- "The age of the grumpy, cynical Christian will be the final age of Christianity"
- "Hope is not a feeling. It is a decision. It is what we choose because the Holy Spirit has been poured into our hearts."
What we need to get out of this downward spiral is to open our hearts to the Spirit, put our trust in Him, a smile on our face, and go on doing whatever we can, no matter how small, in furthering His Kingdom.
Bob McGarry asked me to write something about my experiences of the Men's Retreat at the Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford.
Last year was the first time that I have attended this retreat with 20 other parishioners from Sacred Heart. It was so memorable that I had decided, this year I will go again. We car-pooled from the church on Friday Oct. 21st and came back Sunday afternoon. It was a wonderful three days of prayers and inspiring talks as well as wonderful music during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
This year's theme was "Between Heaven and Earth". We become the people who live between heaven and earth when we are baptized. To be baptized is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Holiness is the vocation of all the baptized. It was good to hear these words and to have the opportunity of contemplating what it means for me. There is a Men's retreat each year, but you can go and sign up for other retreats and programs at any time .
Call Fr. David Cinquegrani at 860-521-0440 and get spiritually charged up. This year I came away with the understanding that it is through me that the love of God will be manifested and that opened up an entirely new and exciting life for me. I am sure it will be for you as well.
May the peace and love of God be with you all.
My description of the weekend -
A humbling yet awesome experience - a great way to spend a weekend with The Lord and all that He represents.
P. S. I'll be back next year
Why go on retreat? Isn't there something I should be doing this weekend? Yes, as a matter of fact, there is something I should be doing this weekend. But it will still be there when I come back. Except, I'll be different.... more at peace...more relaxed...better able to take the storms of life...better able to understand my place in the Kingdom...just better.
If you haven't been on retreat since the good old days of fire and brimstone, you would be surprised at this weekend. In place of sending us all to perdition, we are reminded of the love of God in our lives. Fear is replaced by understanding. Good food and companionship abound. A retreat team that obviously enjoys their job. All this together and more go into the retreat weekend.
Why do I go? Because I need to go. Because I'm worth it.