"HOLY SPIRIT RETREAT FOR CATHOLIC PARISHES"

DEFINITION: A Holy Spirit Catholic Parish Retreat is a spiritual development program that's designed to lead parishioners into a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus by encouraging them to yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide and direct their lives.

The program is a modified version of the Life in the Spirit Seminar and is intended to appeal to a wide cross section of the parish community. It focuses on the Holy Spirit and the important role He plays in our spiritual life. Through inspired teachings, daily prayer and scripture reading and the action of the Holy Spirit, parishioners are drawn closer to Jesus and experience "new life" in Christ,. The program is fully Catholic, rooted in Holy Scripture and supported by teachings from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

FORMAT: The Retreat consists of a series of teachings spread over a period of 8 weeks. One session per week with each session lasting from 2 - 2 1/2 hours. The teachings, which are given by qualified and experienced speakers, (both lay and clergy), from within and/or from outside the parish, are designed to lead participants through the basic Gospel message and increase their awareness of the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In addition to the teachings, attendees are given the opportunity to actively participate in the process through small group discussions.

The Retreat is organized by a committee drawn from the leadership of the various lay ministries within the parish, under the guidance of a Coordinator, who also facilitates the weekly sessions. In other words, the Retreat is a parish event, organized and run by the parish for the benefit of all parishioners. Most of the work of organizing and running the Retreat is done by the Organizing Committee so as not to impact on the Pastor's time. However, the pastor retains overall control of the process and his full and active support is essential to the success of the Retreat.

BENEFITS: To the Individual:

BENEFITS: To the Parish:

COST: A Registration Fee ($10 - $25.00) per person is recommended to cover the cost of reading/study material, stipends for the speakers, refreshments etc. Such a fee is usually sufficient to cover all expenses, so the parish is not "out of pocket" except for providing a venue and the usual amenities - heating, lighting etc.

ORGANIZING A RETREAT IN YOUR PARISH: A Leader's Manual that fully describes how to organize and run a retreat in your parish is available by clicking on the following link. Kas and Alana, E-mail Address: cana7cana@gmail.com

The Holy Spirit Retreat a life changing experience through which parishioners continue to grow in faith and intimacy with Jesus, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Fr Liborio Amaral's appeal to all Pastor to hold Holy Spirit Retreats in their parishes . Please download letter and print here . To know more information on the St. Mary's Parish Roman Catholic Church Brampton, click here. Rev. Fr. Liborio Amaral's Celebration of Holy Daily Mass from St. Basil's Church in Toronto, Ontario, Canada click here .

 

"2004 - 2006"

Place	Date	Attendance
Holy Rosary Parish - Toronto	April, 2004	60
St. Anns Parish - Brampton	April, 2004	80
Holy Cross Parish - Georgetown	May, 2004	50
St. Andrews Parish - Etobicoke	May, 2004	100
Immaculate Conception Parish - Woodbridge	February, 2005	155
St. Anthony of Padua Parish - Brampton	April, 2005	115
All Saints Parish - Etobicoke	January, 2006	173
St. Clare of Assisi Parish - Woodbridge	February 2, 2006	310
St. Josephs Parish - Guelph	February 23, 2006	153
St Thomas Aquinas Parish - Toronto	April 25, 2006	260
St. Augustine of Cant. Parish - Toronto	May 3, 2006	180
St. John Vianney Parish - Barrie	October 2, 2006	180

"2007 -2012"

Place	Date	Attendance
St Thomas More Parish - Scarborough	January 23, 2007	137
St. Stephens Chapel (Cathedral Parish) - Toronto	February 5, 2007	166
St Boniface Parish - Scarborough	February 8, 2007	147
St Leo's Parish - Brooklin	May 2, 2007	100
Christ the King - Etobicoke	Sept. 27, 2007	85
St. Leonard's Parish - Brampton	Oct. 3, 2007	135
St. Christopher's - Mississauga- Fr Scott Young	October, 2008	130
St. Joseph's Parish - Mississauga	May, 2009	165
St Joseph the Worker -Thornhill	April, 2009	285
St Anne's Parish - Brampton - Fr Damian Ali	April, 2010	160
St Catherine of Alexandria Byzantine Parish - Bond Head	April, 2010	30
Blessed Sacrament Parish - Toronto - Fr Larry Marcille	September, 2010	104
Prince of Peace Parish - Scarborough	January, 2011	185
St Mary's Parish - Brampton - Fr Liborio Amaral	May, 2011	200
St Ann's - Penetanguishene - Fr John Asidorian	April, 2012	114
St Andrew's - Brechin - Fr Anthony Gonsalves	September, 2012	100
St. Joseph's Parish - Mississauga	October, 2012	160

"Planned for 2013"

Place	Date	Attendance
St Mary's - Brampton (2) (First Comm. & Conf. Parents)	January, 2013	358
St Marguerite D'Youville - Brampton	April
Guardian Angels - Orillia	October
St Martin of Tours - Mississauga

"Total"

4,577