Diocesan Lenten Retreat on April 2 will be offered virtually

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SALT LAKE CITY — Once again, due to the ongoing pandemic, the Diocesan Lenten Retreat will be offered remotely. A message from Bishop Oscar A. Solis and talks from retreat masters Father Ray John Marek, OMI, and Friar Cristobal Torres, OP will be posted on the diocesan website April 2. Parishes are asked to schedule the retreat for a time that day that will work best for their congregations.

Bishop Solis has requested that this year’s retreat, which has as its theme “Walking Together with Christ and Each Other,” be part of the synodal process of preparing for the worldwide Synod of Bishops. As such, in keeping with Pope Francis’ wishes, the retreat will be “a time to listen, time to reflect, time to share,” said Susan Northway, Office of Faith Formation director, who is organizing the event along with Maria Cruz Gray, director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry.

Parish communities are encouraged to access the videos as it is convenient for them anytime that day. After the presentations, there will be small-group discussions. The feedback from these discussions will be gathered as part of the synodal listening sessions.

“This is going to be a powerful experience,” Northway said. “We have not had this kind of opportunity to express ourselves in this particular way. This is not a time for argumentation or negativity. It is a time to speak from the heart about the synod, about things that concern our faith journey for the Church of tomorrow, for the direction that we are taking.”

Fr. Marek, a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, will present the English-speaking session on the theme. Fr. Marek is the associate director of Lenox House, a house of spirituality and hospitality in Oakland, Calif. He has previously led retreats in the Diocese of Salt Lake City and is helping with diaconate formation program here.

Fr. Torres, a member of the Dominican Order’s Southern Province, will present the Spanish-speaking session. A Cuban-American based in Miami, Fla., Fr. Torres is an iconographer and graphic novel artist and involved in on-campus ministry at Barry University.

Parishes are encouraged to combine the retreat with Sabbath worship where practical.

Last year’s remote sessions of the Lenten retreat were very well received in the parishes, Northway said. This format has been so successful that she anticipates a hybrid form of retreat will become standard for the diocese going forward, even after the pandemic has ended.

“It is all part of a new way to evangelize,” she said. “It is a very exciting time.”