SALT LAKE CITY— With a theme of “Christ, the Wellspring of Joy” chosen by Bishop Oscar A. Solis, the 2019 Diocesan Lenten Retreat will be held Saturday, April 6 at St. Vincent de Paul Benvegnu Center and Holy Family Hall. Sessions in English and Spanish will be offered concurrently.
“I feel the bishop was inspired by the Holy Spirit,” Susan Northway, director of the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Office of Faith Formation, said. “This is a wonderful reflection on the Gospels that lead up in Lent to Easter. Christ is the source of our joy, the wellspring and living water of our faith.”
Father Ray John Marek, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate who teaches homiletics at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, will present the English-speaking portion of the retreat.
“The focus of the diocesan retreat is inspired by a common thread that is found in the writings, teaching, and homilies of Pope Francis,” said Fr. Ray John, who is a Texas native. “He invites us time and time again to encounter Jesus Christ in new ways and to discover joy in that encounter. …. The deeply-seated joy, which only Christ can give, is to be one of the hallmarks of Christian identity and living. It is to be the source and foundation of our Christian discipleship as we live in this world and negotiate all that comprises our living. That ‘joy’ will be one of the best resources for the way Catholic Christians evangelize in our day and time.”
“This Lenten retreat/journey is an opportunity for men and women of the diocese to step back from the normal swirl of daily activities; to meet Christ anew for our day and time; and to experience the joy that only Christ can give and which sustains us for ministry as evangelizers in our homes, in our work places, and in our world,” Fr. Ray John said.
The Reverend Domingo Rodríguez Zambrana, ST will conduct the Spanish-speaking sessions. Fr. Domingo, a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, is originally from Puerto Rico. A writer, preacher and facilitator, he has lectured at venues across the United States and has been a presenter at the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference in Anaheim, Calif. for more than 20 years.
“Their charism is one of down-to-earth men who are very well-founded to deal with people,” Northway said of Fr. Ray John and Fr. Domingo. Both have spoken in the diocese before and have helped with several lay ecclesial ministry formation programs in English and Spanish.
The Lenten retreat, or Day of Prayer, will be divided into “conferences” led in the English-speaking sessions by Fr. Ray John, whose preaching will set the tone for table discussions and activities.
“The journey of Lent – and particularly the scripture passages we reflect on during this season – provide opportunities for (us) to encounter Christ and be renewed in baptismal identity and transformed by the Good News,” Fr. Marek said. “Lent helps us to ‘clothe and re-clothe’ ourselves once again in Christ and his joy so that men and women in the world can see the Christ and his joy reflected and radiating in us. Those encounters with the Christ then move us deeper into intentional discipleship as we live through the various daily events that characterize our lives.”
During the retreat, Bishop Oscar A. Solis will celebrate a bilingual Mass with participants of both the English and Spanish retreat sessions.
The cost for the retreat (which includes lunch) has been kept low at the request of Bishop Solis so that anyone who wishes to attend will be able to do so, Northway said. Pre-registration is encouraged, especially for the English-speaking sessions, as space is limited in the Benvegnu Center, she added.
WHAT: 2019 Diocesan Lenten Retreat
WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
WHERE: St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 1375 E. Spring Lane, SLC
Benvegnu Center (English session)
Holy Family Hall (Spanish session)
COST: $10; includes lunch
Pre-registration encouraged; email Trisha.Norcross@dioslc.org or Sandra.Maxwell@dioslc.org, or call 801-328-8641.
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