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Easter refreshment for priests
Fr Mark White OP, encourages priests to come to this years annual Charismatic Priest's Retreat and be refreshed
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Such is the reaction of one of the regular participants in the annual charismatic retreat for Bishops Priests and Deacons. The retreat has been running in one form or another since the great impetus of the Hopwood Hall, Manchester, gatherings in the mid 1970's. It has moved to different venues: Hawkstone Hall, Ushaw, Trinity and All Saints College near Leeds and currently at Mount St Mary's School, Spinkhill, Sheffield. It might not seem to be such a good idea to hold a retreat for clergy in Easter Week after the great demands of Holy Week. And it is true that when the first session begins on Easter Monday evening, there are a lot of tired faces in the room. But, without exception, by the Friday there is a new spring in the step, a new sense of peace and a renewed zeal for the ministry. The numbers vary from 50 to 60, some coming every year, others every second year, others occasionally. New participants are always warmly welcomed. Over the years there has been a great variety of speakers: Frs Bob Faricy, Jim McManus, Pat Collins, John Fuellenbach, Bob de Grandis, Sean Conaty - men known both nationally and internationally. In 2006 Myles Dempsey, the first layman to do so, gave what many of the participants felt was one of the most memorable retreats of recent years. The daily programme is rich and varied: Adoration, Prayer and Praise, the Eucharist, Small Group Sharing and ministry sessions in the evenings which focus on reconciliation, healing and empowerment. Every year the participants speak of the warmth and support of the fellowship, the depth of the sharing and the inspiration provided by the speakers. It is a time for building up, inspiring and re-invigorating all who come. In 2007 the speaker is Mgr. John Armitage, Vicar-General for the Diocese of Brentwood, a well-known and highly respected priest who has worked for many years in the East End of London and is now more widely-known through his involvement in recent CaFE videos. One of the regular attendees who is a deacon wrote the
following: "Having been on many retreats and conferences, I would
recommend this retreat to all my fellow deacons. It is uplifting and
prayerful; the speakers are exceptional and it is definitely Spirit-led.
As a deacon, I have been totally accepted as a member of the clergy
by all those present.
For an application form for next retreat April 9-13 please write to: The Secretary, Easter Retreat, c/o St Joseph's Church, Highgate Hill, London N19 5NE
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"I
always look forward to the Easter Retreat ……. good food, great
company, so good to be at ease with my fellow priests…….never
yet been disappointed with the speaker……sets me up perfectly
for the rest of the year…."