Paulist.org | Paulist Fathers Evangelization and Reconciliation

Three-Night Parish Retreat:
Why God? Why Church? Why Me?

Consider a retreat to help parishioners explore how to live their faith in the modern world. This retreat appeals to people’s experience, especially the yearning to create a life that has real meaning and to share the faith we have been given. Key questions are explored, such as: What do I believe and why?; How do I identify God in the events of my life?; How do I share my faith with others?; How can I be a disciple of Christ in my everyday, busy life? These topics are discussed with humor and honesty. Connecting to the realities of people’s lives, the retreat helps participants find God in the ordinary and everyday. Through the parish retreat, people can discover that they are not too far from God after all.

As part of the retreat, Fr. Don will commitment to the following:

To preach at all the Masses on Saturday evening and Sunday. Fr. Don will also preside at all Masses assigned by the pastor. The theme of the homily will incorporate the Sunday gospel and will include and introduce the theme of the parish retreat.
To give a presentation on three evenings: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on the topics we have agreed upon.
To give a presentation in the morning for those who cannot make the evening sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

The topics for the three nights are:

Night 1: Why God?	We explore our belief in God, what we believe, why we believe, and what questions come up in our society today. Included topics: The Bible as our story, Names for God, being “’saved,” trusting in God’s unconditional love, biblical fundamentalists, atheism.
Night 2: Why Church?	This night explores how we come together as Church to support ourselves and each other as we live out our belief in God. Topics include: What brings us together, Catholic vs. other denominations, sacraments, being involved at Church.
Night 3: Why Me?	Last, we explore how our belief in God and our involvement in Church affects how we live. Topics include: how do I live my faith in today’s world, what I can say to others, how are we already making a difference, what can we do to welcome more people, getting excited about our faith.

Below are informational and promotional materials for the retreat.

General Information Brochure (PDF format)
Why God, Why Church, Why Me? Retreat information (Microsoft Word format)
Why God, Why Church, Why Me? Retreat promotional flyer (PDF format)
Picture of Fr. Donald Andrie, CSP for promotional liturature.
Brief Bio for Fr. Don (Microsoft Word format)

Click here to email Fr. Don.