Prepare for the Lord's coming at diocesan Advent retreat

Friday, Nov. 18, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY— “This is the time to come together. No matter the walk of life that you come from, we are all wounded and broken people, and we can come to Jesus, who will comfort us in our struggles. He is the only one who can give us that. We really need his love,” said Father Gustavo Vidal, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in West Heaven, as he extended an invitation for all Catholics in Utah to attend this year’s diocesan Advent retreat.

 The retreat theme is ”Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Preparing for the Coming of the Lord.” Fr. Vidal will be the presenter.

Attending this type of retreat is helpful to Catholics because Advent is “a special time at the beginning of a new liturgical year when, as Christians, we begin anew to prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth into our world,” said Monsignor Colin F. Bircumshaw, diocesan administrator.

The bilingual retreat is organized by the diocesan Office of Liturgy in conjunction with the Office of Hispanic Ministry.

“Fr. Vidal is very proficient in moving back and forth between both English and Spanish, and we felt  that in his presentation nothing would be lost in translation,” said Ruth Dillon, director of the liturgy office.

“By doing it bilingual I want to share with the community that we are all one Body in Christ; that we belong to one Church, that there is no division, that there is unity. … We come all together in the Lord. You don’t have to belong to specific race [or] religion; everyone is invited to participate in this retreat,”  Fr. Vidal added.

The retreat also will highlight the message of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which is important in today’s world, said Fr. Vidal, stressing that is very important to bring everyone together. “In these times of division, we will come together as broken people, as wounded people, as people that are struggling, people that are dealing with a lot of hurt, with a lot of wounds. … The only one that is able to give them comfort is Jesus. Nobody else is going to give them the peace and the joy that they need,” he said.

As one faith community in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, “the opportunity to celebrate together isn’t always available, so it’s exciting that we can spend time together and prepare for the arrival of our Lord,” Dillon said. 

Maria Cruz Gray, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry, agreed. “We all should get together and pray and reflect,” she said.

An Advent retreat can also help people focus on the true importance of Christmas, Msgr. Bircumshaw said; it can be “a preparation for encountering the love of God in Christ at the end of our own life’s journeys or personal death, and also within the ordinary moments of our ‘God with us’ journeys of faith.” He urged the entire Catholic community in Utah to take advantage of  this Advent retreat, because “it can help fill us with His presence, to lead us to the true peace and joy of the Christmas season.”