Off to our Annual Retreat...

Sunday, August 22 - Thursday, August 26, 2010:

For the next couple of days, we will be spending our time exclusively with Jesus :-) Yes, we are off to our annual retreat - a time of abundant grace, a time to experience God's love anew, and a time to fall in love again with Him who loved us first. We trust that He will lead us beside quiet waters and restore our souls (Ps 23:2-3). God is always faithful. We will be praying for you...please keep us in your prayers too. See you on the other side!

Savoring our Catholic History: Vatican Splendors

Friday, August 13, 2010:

How much of the history of our Catholic faith do you know? Well, we learned quite a bit when we spent some time at the Vatican Splendors (http://www.vaticansplendors.com/) exhibit held at the History Museum here in St. Louis. There were a lot of pieces of art work that were magnificent in telling the history of our faith. Some of these pieces were being shown for the first time to the general public! From the beginnings of the apostles Peter and Paul, and the early church, the "splendors" took us through a journey of learning about our popes and the happenings of our Church throughout the centuries. Towards the end of our tour, we touched the cast of the hand of Pope John II (just about the only thing we could touch there!)...which was special. Speaking about media, the "splendors" were an excellent way to help many meet God in the arts simply through the description of stories in the Scriptures alongside the hardcore facts of our Catholic faith and traditions that have stood the test of time. It was truly edifying - be sure to visit the "splendors" when you can...its well worth your time!

Parish Exhibit in Wichita, Kansas

Saturday, August 7 - Sunday, August 8, 2010:

During our trip to Wichita, we also conducted a parish exhibit at Church of the Magdalene (http://www.magdalenwichita.com/) after the Saturday and Sunday masses. The pastor, Fr. Patrick, his associate Fr. Roger and the parishioners welcomed us very warmly. Sr. Rebecca and Jackie gave pulpit talks at the masses to share some of our media and explain our mission to the congregation . We learned that the Church of the Magdalene is a vibrant parish and has over 1000 families! Sr. Connie, the pastoral associate told us that the parishioners come from many nations. Most of the parishioners have young families and so it was beautiful to see how many of them took resources to help their children grow in the faith. Some parishioners has already obtained our media from our website but there were also many who asked for our website information so that they could our media there. We praise God for using us as instruments to bring His love to the people of Wichita!

Catholic Family Conference in Wichita, Kansas

Friday, August 6 - Sunday, August 8, 2010:

Sr. Rebecca, Jackie, and Laura all traveled to Wichita, Kansas for the annual Midwest Catholic Family Conference (www.catholicfamilyconference.org/). There were hundreds of families there! We brought some of our books, music, and DVDs and set up an exhibit at the conference along with many other exhibitors. The conference featured some great speakers who shared their knowledge and personal experience on topics such as "End of Life Issues", "Dangers of the New Age Deception", and "Laughter: the Sanity of the Family". We took turns attending some of the talks and taking care of the exhibit. Sharon Lee Giganti gave the talk on New Age and was very powerful! She was deeply involved in the New Age movement before she realized that she was wrong and that God was the answer to all her life's difficulties. Sr. Rebecca met her during the weekend and found out that she is a novice in the Pauline Holy Family Institute (www.vocations-holyfamily.com/). This Institute is one of the 10 religious orders founded by Blessed James Alberione including the Daughters of St. Paul (www.alberionefilm.com/). Since she is a novice, she is still in formation for the Holy Family Institute, but will take her first vows this fall. It was so nice to meet someone from our Pauline "family" while we were out in Kansas! We also met Sisters from different communities including the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church (www.sistersofmarymotherofthechurch.org/) and the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters (www.olivben.org/). We stayed with Sisters who are from the Congregation of St. Joseph (www.csjoseph.org/wichita_kansas). Their convent was beautiful! One of their charisms is hospitality and it really showed. They were so kind and generous to us, willing to help us in any way. All in all it was a great weekend. We met so many kind people trying to help their families grow in their faith and grow closer to God. We are thankful for the opportunity to be able to share the Word of God with so many families.

Young Adult Retreat in Chicago - Coming up!

Are you a young woman between 18 and 30 years looking for a summer get-away with Jesus? We have one planned just for you!

You are all invited to our Young Adult Come and See Weekend in Chicago this summer from Friday August 20 - Monday August 23, 2010.

Please contact Sr. Helena Raphael at 617-850-5584 or HelRaphaelfsp@aol.com for more information.

The retreat will be held in our convent at 172 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60601. Jesus, Our Master is waiting for you! You can count on our prayers!

Enjoy the pictures from the retreat that Laura and I attended a couple of years ago :-)