U.S. Region and Retirement Community Retreat

By the numbers:

At the retreat: 77
At Evening Prayer yesterday: 7
At weekly rosary for vocations: 17
At the happy hour: 47

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"Its always good when Maryknollers get together." (Fr. Mike Duggan, U.S. Regional superior) in introducing our retreat director.

Father Jim Noonan (Philippines, former Super G, Mekong, Washington, D.C.) directs our U.S. Regional Retreat this year, from October 12~ 14.

The theme is: we are on a marvelous journey that never ends. Every day we have the opportunity to deepen and experience our relationship with our selves, with others' with God and with all creation.

The meaning of life: loving relationships.

The more loving relationships we have, the more fully alive we become.

"Humanity has just entered perhaps the greatest transformation it has ever known..."
"We are mere fractions of our full potential."
"What we shall be has not yet been revealed."
"We are only at the threshold of our life as adults."

Relationship with ourself: become aware how lovable, unique and mysterious we are. We can go through life wearing masks, trying to be someone others think we should be or who we think we should be. We need to know. Our strengths and our weaknesses.

What we think of ourselves determines how we relate to others. Judging others destroys relationships and imposes a burden on us and leads on down a path that leads nowhere. The shortcomings in others that annoy us most usually remind us of our own shortcomings.

A retreat gives us time for silence and solitude to allow the Spirit of the living God to enter more deeply into us. The biggest distraction to growth in self-awareness and awareness of others, of God, and of creation is busy-ness.