Northern Deanery to host women's retreat

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

The 2012 Northern Deanery women's retreat will offer time spent praying the rosary. IC file photo

OGDEN — Women throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City are invited to the Northern Deanery Women’s Retreat to be held at Holy Family Catholic Church on June 1.

The theme for the retreat, "Consider It All Joy," comes from James 1:2-4 and "we hope to inspire women through music and the message of God’s Word that we can consider it all joy when we fall into various trials," said Maria Lobato, retreat coordinator and parishioner of Saint Mary in West Haven. "Through joy we see beyond our circumstances and are allowed to find a purpose in life and really take a look at who we are becoming. Joy lets us feel a genuine peace and allows us to thrive in our relationships with each other and with God."

The speakers for the retreat will speak on the theme and include some of their personal experiences. They are Dominican Father Carl Schlichte, pastor of Saint Catherine of Siena Newman Center; Carol Ruddell, Commission for People with Disabilities member and past chairwoman; Jeanne Lachowski, Saint Catherine of Siena Newman Center parishioner; Jean Hill, Government Liaison and Peace and Justice director for the Diocese of Salt Lake City; and Rob Lanni, who will also provide the music.

Lachowski travels throughout Africa with her husband doing missionary work and she will draw upon those experiences to talk on joy and experiencing God in foreign places.

Hill will speak about social justice issues such as trafficking, immigration and fair trade.

"God gives us the strength to deal with and to handle even the most trying circumstances in our lives," Lobato said. "People go through so many trials and experiences in their lives, and although they cannot stop the trials in their lives they can learn to handle them as they come along and hopefully these talks will be helpful."

Last year’s retreat was wonderful with more than 100 women in attendance and "we are looking forward to this year being another great experience," said Lobato.

"Women will find this retreat very renewing and refreshing," added Joan Erickson, Northern Deanery president. "It will also give them an opportunity to meet other women of their faith from throughout the diocese. Last year women traveled from the Salt Lake and Wasatch deaneries to attend the retreat and we received positive feedback from them. We brought back some of the same speakers from last year because they were so well received, but this will be a new and different experience."

The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, will open the retreat with prayer. "We will also pray the rosary and there will be time for reconciliation," Lobato said.

The Northern Deanery Women’s Retreat will be held June 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 1100 East 5500 South, Ogden. A light breakfast and lunch are included in the $10 registration fee. For information or to register, call or text Maria Lobato, 801-989-2257, or email joyfulevent@yahoo.com.