St. Francis of Assisi Parish to offer various Lenten retreats

Friday, Feb. 12, 2021

OREM —Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish in Orem has scheduled four bilingual (English/Spanish)  Lenten retreats offering an opportunity for a wide range of ages to reflect, learn and prepare during Lent.

The first retreat is for youth 13-18 years old. This all-day retreat will take place on Saturday, March 6. The theme of this retreat will be new life.

“We need to remember that without God in our lives we are nothing,” said Blanca Rubio, one of the retreat organizers. 

Because of the pandemic, many people are afraid to attend the liturgy in-person, so the organizers decided to offer these four retreats, Rubio said.

Each retreat will have limited onsite seating; they also will be transmitted on social media. On-site, social distancing and safety precautions will be maintained because of the pandemic.

On Saturday, March 13, a Lenten retreat under the title “Emmaus” will offer adults an opportunity to learn more about the Catholic Church’s teachings.

“As Catholics it is important to keep on growing in our faith,” Rubio said. 

Retreats for adults also will take place on the next two Saturdays: the March 20 retreat will have the topic “The History of Salvation,” and on March 27 the retreat will be dedicated to the life and teachings of the Apostle John. “We are in a spiritual cold and there are things in our life that become darker and darker. … Coming back to the Church, especially in this time of the year, will reignite our faith,” Rubio said.

For each in-person retreat there is a 60 people maximum registration. The youth retreat is already full. It will be transmitted to Facebook live on the parish Facebook page. 

The presenters will include Fr. Gustavo Vidal, the parish pastor, and leaders from the various parish ministries and small communities.

“This is a very good opportunity to learn, to renew ourselves, and to re-commit to God more and to live this Lent in a different way,” said Rubio, adding that now more than ever the Catholic Church is hungry for its parishioners. 

“When you attend one of these retreats you can expect to come out of them with a lot of strength spiritually and emotionally,” she said.

To register for one or more of the retreats, call the parish office, 801-221-0750, or Blanca Rubio at 801-687-4957.

For those who choose to participate in person, there will be a $10 fee to cover breakfast and lunch. For the adult retreats there will be a simultaneous evangelization for children 5-12 years old. For information about this, call the parish office.