Healing retreat offers prayer, sharing, anointing
SALT LAKE CITY — A daylong healing retreat gathered more than 100 people at St. Vincent de Paul Parish for Mass, prayer, song, sharing of stories and the Anointing of the Sick.
“Not many of us are beautiful as the world judges beauty, yet we are beautiful in the eyes of God,” said Fr. John Norman, pastor, in his homily during the Mass that opened the retreat.
Christ’s suffering on the Cross demonstrates that “through human suffering comes the gift of great glory,” he said. Suffering is part of human nature, he added. “We are broken. It is part of our nature.”
The parish chose to host the retreat to “have a day when we can be with, physically, those whom we know and love who are suffering,” as well as “be present through prayer for those who are unable to be here today,” he said. “We come today with our ailments, our weaknesses, our illnesses, our hopes and our fears,” and allow faith to lead the way.
After the Mass, the retreat’s first session was a period of Ignatian meditation on the story of the woman who suffered from hemorrhages and was healed after touching Jesus’ cloak (MT 9:20).
Another of the sessions was a presentation by Rosemary Baron, a hospital chaplain, who spoke of different ways of healing and provided resources for physical, spiritual and emotional healing, as well as caregiver support.
Baron recommended Psalm 23 as a prayer for many situations because most people are familiar with the words, she said. She described several experiences in her ministry when she prayed the psalm with families and individuals who expressed how much they appreciated it, she said.
Among the ways of healing that Baron discussed was blessing the self and each other, praying together, and sharing personal stories. “Healing is a process; it’s not just a one-time thing,” she said. “It’s a continuing process and it takes form in many different ways.”
In the afternoon, retreat participants put Baron’s suggestions into action by pairing off, listening to their partner, then blessing the other and praying for them.
The retreat ended with the participants receiving the Anointing of the Sick.
The day “was beautiful and refreshing,” said Mary Espinoza of St. Patrick Parish in Salt Lake City, who attended with several of her family members, including DeAnn Rivera of St. Olaf Parish in Bountiful.
Likewise, John Fuller of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sandy said he enjoyed the day. “I absolutely recommend a healing retreat at any time at all,” he said. “We’re all in need of healing. We’re all God’s children, we’re all hurt in different ways, and we could always use healing.”
His wife, Darla Fuller, said attending the retreat as a couple “helped us cope with each other and with our relationship with God, so it’s kind of like a triangle.”
The most helpful part of the retreat were the tips and book recommendations that Baron gave, said Vicky Doehring, another Blessed Sacrament parishioner.
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