Annual men's retreat traces 'Journey to Heaven'

Friday, Oct. 09, 2015

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

“Journey to Heaven” was the theme of the fifth annual men’s retreat, organized by Saint Mary Parish. The retreat took place Aug. 7-9 at Bloomington, Idaho, and was attended by 42 men from St. Mary Parish in West Haven, St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church of Park City, Catholic men from Malad, Idaho and one attendee from Beale Air Force Base in California.

Since the inaugural event, Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of St. Mary Parish, has had one goal in mind for these retreats:  To provide a safe environment for men to confront their personal demons, thus freeing them for God to transform their lives.   Each annual retreat becomes an opportunity for the amazing work of God in the lives of the men who attend.

This year the men discussed how the road map to Heaven is filled with obstacles, distractions, confusion, conflicting priorities and unrelenting demands. They used as a guide Randy Hain’s book “Journey to Heaven,” from which the retreat theme was taken, and they did not shrink from grappling with the issues plaguing men today. There were profound moments where the Holy Spirit manifested personal “ah-ha” discoveries, deep cleansings, and extraordinary releases of suppressed emotions.  

Seeing the road map to be the men God calls each of them to be in the Church, in the home, and in the work place, they joined forces to become “Catholic Rebels” by discussing and committing themselves to use the Catholic tools suggested by Hain to combat and overcome the impediments that life throws at them. “Journey to Heaven” invites husbands, fathers, brothers and sons to quit being wishy-washy about their Catholic faith and step up to the challenge God has given to get themselves and their families to Heaven.  

The men on the retreat realized that it takes the mutual support of other men to combat the pressures of life.  Furthermore, as five years of men’s retreats have shown, the bonds forged during the events become stronger and deeper each year.  

However, Fr. Vidal believes that after the retreats the men must continue to meet to allow their experiences to translate into a lived reality. Therefore, monthly gatherings under the banner “Flame Keepers” allow the men to fan the spiritual flames ignited by the retreat.  

The 6th annual men’s retreat is scheduled for Aug. 12-14, 2016. For information and pictures of past retreats, visit www.stmarysutah.org.