Men's retreat offers opportunity to connect with God

Courtesy photo/Bob Shafer

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Campfire talks offer men an opportunity to share their feelings in a confidential and outdoor setting. 

WEST HAVEN — Men from the Diocese of Salt Lake City are invited to attend the third annual Saint Mary Men’s Retreat Aug. 9-11 in Bloomington, Idaho.

Registration will be held April 6-7 on a first-come, first-served basis and will be limited to 50 participants. All men are welcome: priests, deacons, the laity and non-Catholics. Father Gustavo Vidal, St. Mary Parish pastor, will lead the retreat, and participants will discuss the book "We Pray" by Vincentian Father Oscar Lukefahr.

The retreat will be comprised of sessions covering the nine chapters of Fr. Lukefahr’s book, daily Mass, confession, the rosary, meditation and nocturnal adoration, recreational activities and campfire talks.

"Some of the topics discussed will include how God speaks to us, how God teaches us to pray and the various types of prayer, how God listens to us and how we listen to God and difficulties we have in praying," said Bob Shafer, retreat coordinator and St. Mary parishioner. "The retreat offers a wonderful opportunity to learn how to abandon our lives to God, who loves us and gave his life for us. Exploring prayer with other men who may also struggle with this spiritual issue, in a relaxed camping-style retreat setting, affords a wonderful opportunity to learn God’s communication with us."

The retreat will be held on private grounds in Bloomington. The setting lacks cell phone service and is perfect for a life-changing experience, said Fr. Vidal. "This is the first year we will have nocturnal adoration throughout the night, and we will have a candlelight vigil. I offer confession because this is a time for men to examine their lives and reconcile with the Lord. We will have time for prayer and also many other activities that we are keeping secret that will be special for the men. We also have rules and an oath that the men will have to sign to keep the event confidential. This is a way for the men to build trust among each other."

All men who are 18 or older are encouraged to attend the retreat, Fr. Vidal said.

"It has been a life-changing experience for many of the men who have attended, and they have really encountered God there on the mountains," he said. "We had one non-Catholic man attend and decided to go through RCIA and will be baptized this year at St. Mary’s Easter Vigil."

At the retreat, the men develop a camaraderie, the main purpose of which "is to see each other as brothers who are not afraid to share their faith with other men," said Shafer. "It is a time to be with one another and with the Lord, and time for self reflection. We decided to open it to the rest of the diocese to motivate men to experience God in their lives. We want other parish men to experience the spiritual dynamics that take place during one of these secluded retreats and from there hopefully they will be encouraged to initiate one of these retreats within their own parish groups."

The first year the men’s retreat studied the book "Be a Man," by Father Larry Richards, which focused on men’s personal and spiritual issues, said Shafer. The second year the group studied the book "Surrender! Doing the Will of God," by Fr. Richards, which focused on motivating men to surrender their lives to God.

Registration will be held April 6-7 following the Masses at St. Mary Church, 4050 South 3900 West, West Haven, online at www.stmarysutah.org or contact Gary Sheffield, 801-430-4186 or gary.sheffield@comcast.net; or Bob Shafer, 801-628-3768 or robertj_391@msn.com. Payment required at time of registration. Men are expected to bring a Bible, rosary, and writing materials to the retreat.