Parish Retreat – Not having attended any retreats as a kid, the word “Retreat” sounded mysterious to me. I had visions of monks going away somewhere, meditating in silence for long periods of time so as a teen, it didn’t seem very appealing to me. One of the earliest retreats I remember attending, as a young adult, was a weekend Silent Retreat. And that I found hard to do, to be silent the whole weekend long. But besides Silent Retreats, there are other kinds of retreats that can be more like a conference, where we listen to a speaker introduce a topic. Time is usually given for us to reflect quietly on what we’ve heard, and also to process that with others. As my life becomes more and more hectic, I’ve come to enjoy the break from the routine to attend a retreat. Our parish is offering a Lenten Retreat led by a great speaker, Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco, Robert McElroy,formerly pastor of St. Gregory in San Mateo. He not only has a Master’s of Divinity degree from
St. Patrick’s Seminary, but also a Bachelor’s degree in History from Harvard, a Master’s degree in History and a Doctorate in Political Science from Stanford, as well as a Doctorate in Moral Theology form the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is well known for his spiritual depth and pastoral wisdom. As Pope Benedict, Emeritus, asked Catholics in the Year of Faith to grow and know their faith more deeply and to revisit the teachings of the 2nd Vatican Council, Bishop McElroy will help us reflect on “The Continuing Grace of Vatican II in the Life of the Church.” It should be interesting to revisit where we were, the changes we’ve gone through and where the Holy Spirit is leading us now. Please plan to join us, and I would especially encourage our pastoral ministers such as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, Choir Members, Marian Servers &SVDP members, to use this as a yearly renewal in your ministry. It will be held on Saturday, March 16 from 9am – 2pm in our Church Hall. Please RSVP by Mon., March 11. Thank you.
Parish Pilgrimage – As part of our Year of Faith (YOF), the YOF committee extends and invitation to you, to join me in our parish pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Medjugorje is a place where the Blessed Mother continues to appear daily and it has transformed many lives. The dates for the pilgrimage will be from Sep 26 – Oct 5, 2013 and the cost will be $2,650. Space is limited to 35. See flyer for more information.
Stations of the Cross – Early Christians made pilgrimages to the Holy Land so they could walk in the footsteps of Christ and have a deeper encounter with Him. One of the popular routes was the Via Dolorosa, Jesus’ journey to the cross. When the Turks in the 16th century closed off access to the holy sites for pilgrims, the Church made these sites “available” in our parishes, in what we now call, the Stations of the Cross. Praying the Stations, helps me have a deeper understanding of the sufferings Christ bore for us, and also invites me to share my burdens with Him. Somehow, someway, my burdens don’t seem as heavy as I walk with Him, along the Stations of the Cross.
I invite you to join in the Parish’s Stations of the Cross, every Friday of Lent at 7pm. And on Good Friday, we will pray the Stations at 12pm & at 7pm.
Praying that you are having a good and fruitful Lent,
Fr. Dan
