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Benefits
To the Individual
The Retreat gives each individual
an opportunity to grow in faith and to experience the
"living" Christ in his or her daily life.
It makes participants aware of the Father's
immense love for mankind, His plan for our salvation through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the role of the Holy
Spirit in bringing the Father's plan to completion by the
transformation of hearts.
It encourages attendees to submit to the Holy
Spirit and to rely on Him for guidance and enlightenment. This
results in a deeper appreciation of the Sacraments, particularly the
Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation
It promotes daily prayer, scripture reading and
meditation as well as other opportunities for spiritual growth by
recommending suitable reading material, videos, conferences and
educational seminars.
It challenges participants to become actively
involved in the various lay ministries within the parish and to become
true disciples of Christ by spreading the "Good News".
To the Parish
The Retreat provides the Pastor with a
practical response to the call from Pope Benedict XVI in his address
to the Clergy of Rome on May 13, 2005, when he urged all priests to
"make oneself 'all things to all men' in daily life, in
attention to every person and family".
It also helps the parish to experience the answer to the prayer of
Pope John XXIII at the beginning of the 2nd Vatican Council when the
Holy Father prayed, "Renew your wonders in this our day, as by a
new Pentecost." as well as the challenge from Pope John Paul 11
for the "new evangelization". This is achieved when
participants are "commissioned" to "go forth and
spread the Good News" at the close of each Retreat
The Retreat helps to build "community"
by calling together the leaders of the various parish ministries to
work collectively on a project that will benefit all parishioners.
In order to continue developing their faith
experience, participants are encouraged to become involved with one or
more of the ministries within the parish. The opportunity is also
taken to update the list of all parish ministries, their purpose,
contacts etc.
As participants grow in their relationship with
God, this newfound intimacy is often translated into an upsurge of
volunteers within the parish as well as more faithful attendance at
Mass and the Sacraments.
Finally, it provides the pastor with a viable
alternative to the usual Lenten Mission.
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