Discover God in ordinary life at retreat By Fabvienen Taylor
JACKSON — A retreat is being offered in March to all parishes as part of the “Why Catholic? Journey Through the Catechism” program. The retreat will be offered in designated parishes from Friday to Tuesday, March 20-24.
Anyone can attend from young adults to catechists and Rite of Election teams and participants, to small group members, seniors, and members of parish organizations.
“Discovering God in the Ordinary” is the theme of the three-hour retreat which will be offered in English and Spanish at various parishes in the Diocese of Jackson.
“It is a way to prayerfully experience the Lenten season by discovering God in the ordinariness of life,” said Alice Hughes, director of the Office of Faith Formation.
The retreat revolves around three activities, or movements, and consists of prayer, Scripture, journaling and reflection.
The three movements are “Discovering God in Creation,” “Discovering God Within,” and “Discovering God in the ‘stuff’ of Life.”
“This retreat could whet the appetite of some of its participants enough to take it back to their parishes and put it to use there,” Hughes said.
Retreat presenters are Theresa Leonetti and Sister Marined Fabre, from Renew International.
The time, day and location of the five retreats for English speakers can be found at the end of this story.
For the six retreats offered in Spanish, go to page 4 of Mississippi Catolico in this issue of Mississippi Catholic.
Why Catholic? is a program of evangelization and adult faith formation developed by Renew International.
Eighty parishes in the diocese are participating in the four-year process.
Parishes began the first season of the program — “The Profession of Faith: What We Believe” — during Advent 2008.
The second series of the six-week sessions began last week in most parishes to coincide with the Lenten season.
At St. Richard Parish, 850 people signed up for “Why Catholic?” There are 48 groups, according to Nancy McGhee, director of evangelization for the parish.
The parish’s small faith communities make up most of the groups. Others are grouped by interest or age.
One of the small groups — for single adults aged 35 - 60 — meets Mondays at 7 p.m.
Jill Brady leads the group with Mike Lewis as co-leader. The group number fluctuates from 12 to over 20 on some nights.
About 10 people attended the Monday, Feb. 23, meeting which centered on “The Paschal Mystery: Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.”
“A lot of people are out of town for Mardi Gras,” said Brady, who said following the session there would be King Cake and beads for everyone.
A desire to learn how to use the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” brought Brady to “Why Catholic?”
“I thought it was real wordy and complicated but it’s not,” she said. “There are really interesting things in it. I think the materials we are using make it interesting.”
Mike Lewis, a cradle Catholic, said the program helps fill in the blanks in his knowledge about his faith, whether from forgetting or having never learned.
“This is a great opportunity to learn about my faith,” said Lewis, who accompanies the group’s singing on guitar.
He also plays guitar with a band of musicians at the 5:30 p.m. Sunday Liturgy for youth.
“Another reason is that I never really get to meet people in church because of my time with the band before and after Mass. So the sessions give me the opportunity to meet other people at church, Lewis said.
Maureen Murphy, a Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish, wanted to learn more about the catechism and get involved in the program.
“It is such a nice way for Catholics to learn more about their faith. We don’t have that many classes for adult education. It is severely lacking.
The retreat schedule:
Deanery Six: 6:30 - 9 p.m. Friday, March 20, Philadelphia Holy Rosary Parish;
Deanery Five: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, Tupelo St. James (English and Spanish);
Deaneries Three and Four: 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22, Greenwood Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish;
Deanery Two: 6:30 - 9 p.m., Monday, March 23, Brookhaven St. Francis of Assisi Parish;
Deanery One: 6:30 - 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish.
