Two Dominican priests and a Franciscan sister from the Thomas More Center, Webster, will lead a four-day retreat Sunday, Feb. 14, through Wednesday, Feb. 17, in Douglas and Washburn counties.
The tri-parishes of St. Anthony, Gordon; St. Mary, Minong; and St. Pius X, Solon Springs, are sponsoring the free event titled, “Renewal of Mind and Heart: Scriptural Spirituality Today.”
For many years, Fr. Jim Kinney, pastor of the cluster, didn’t know there was a retreat center in Webster. When he learned the Dominicans were available to substitute for local priests, Fr. Kinney asked them to help.
“Fr. Mike has substituted in my cluster parishes, and has done a great job,” the priest said. “In fact, a lot of people wanted him to come back.”
The four-day event includes an evening session Sunday and morning and evening sessions Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They may collect a good-will offering, Fr. Kinney said, but they are encouraging visitors to contribute food for evening meals rather than giving financially.
Following 9 o’clock Mass and breakfast, sessions run from 9:45-11:15 a.m. Evening sessions begin with 6 p.m. soup/sandwich potlucks and continue from 7-8:30 p.m.
Locations and topics:
Sunday evening (St. Mary, Minong): “The Leadership of Pope Francis”;
Monday morning (St. Pius X, Solon Springs): “Pope Francis and Social Justice”;
Monday evening (St. Pius X, Solon Springs): “Pope Francis Calls Us to Holiness;
Tuesday morning (St. Mary, Minong): “Pope Francis and Joy in the Letters of Paul”;
Tuesday evening (St. Mary, Minong): “Story of Good Samaritan: Example of Mercy”;
Wednesday morning (St. Pius X, Solon Springs): “Sharing the Good News: What Pope Francis Asks of Us”;
Wednesday evening (St. Pius X, Solon Springs): “Family Reconciliation – The Meaning of Mercy in Our Families.”
Ultimately, Fr. Kinney hopes to attract attendees from Catholic parishes as well as those from the community and other Christian denominations.
“I run into a lot of Catholics who keep bringing up their love of Pope Francis,” he added. “We’re going to advertise this not only in the Catholic Herald, but also in the local newspapers.”
To register or for more information, call the parish office at 715-378-4431, ext. 2.
