The members of the Retreat in Daily Life team gathered recently for a professional development day at the Cenacle. The day, facilitated by Mary J Kay rc, was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our experience of these retreats and to share wisdom and practical help on the various dimensions of the retreats.
A common theme was one of gratitude and awareness of the process of this particular ministry which calls the team of prayer guides to help create ‘circles of grace’ wherever these retreats take place and in whatever context of the ordinary daily life of each participant.
Since February, Retreats in Daily Life have happened in Upper Hutt, Avalon, Lower Hutt and Johnsonville-Newlands. Later this year, retreats are scheduled for the Plimmerton area (which will include the members of Ministers’ Fraternal), Paraparaumu-Paekakariki, and Miramar areas.
There will also be a Retreat in Daily Life in July for tertiary students. This will be based at Kohanga, the Catholic Chaplaincy at Victoria University. There are currently eight bookings in the Wellington/Kapiti area for these retreats in 2008.
There was good energy shared as we prayed and created new ways of adapting Retreats in Daily Life begun by St Ignatius Loyola, for our present times, cultures and contexts.
Contact Cenacle Sisters 04 4788 575 for more information or email office@cenacle.org.nz The team is usually available for one retreat a month, except in December-January.
The picture shows Sheila McGrath DOLC, Brian Vale, Columban, Merle Hiscock RNDM, Kathleen Ryan rc, Bryan Montgomery SM.
Front: Clare O’Connor rc, Anne Powell rc, Judith Moroney RSM, Mrs Merle Whiteman, Cenacle Companion.