Awakening the Faith of Men at Passionist Retreat Center

On Friday evening, February 9th, a flood of men from all parts of the Diocese of Pittsburgh flowed through the corridors of St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Center in the South Side of Pittsburgh. The chapel reverberated with the voices of 85 men singing traditional hymns and hymns of worship and praise.  It was the 2018 Men’s retreat, which continued a tradition that began more than 40 years ago. In front of me, I saw three generations of worshippers sharing a pew; they included a grandfather, his son, and his grandson. Their eyes were fixed on the Holy Eucharist exposed in a monstrance. The retreat continued until Sunday afternoon.

Catholic spirituality provided the foundation for the retreat. Between praying the Liturgy of the Hours each morning and evening the men participated in Eucharistic adoration, the Holy Rosary, walking reflectively along the path of an outdoor Stations of the Cross, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Although there were moments of reflective silence the weekend was not exclusively devoted to prayer; there was plenty of good food and laughter, which is characteristic of Christian fellowship. The library and reading room were stocked with inspiring books to deepen our spiritual lives, but I found that I wasn’t likely to get through more than a page or two before I was drawn into a lively conversation about the challenges and opportunities of living a life of faith in today’s world.

The camaraderie between the men illustrated the theme of the retreat: “In Christ, United in Mind and Heart.” Not only did the retreat strengthen our identity as members of the Body of Christ, it challenged us to reach beyond the parameters of the institutional church to become a vibrant presence in the surrounding community. There were workshops emphasizing the relationship between empathy (the ability to understand and share other people’s feelings) and compassion (the motivation and ability to act upon the feeling of empathy). Compassion draws one out of oneself and one’s comfortable and familiar surroundings to minister to the world.

Men shared their experiences during conferences, talking about what it means to remain in Christ and to allow Christ to dwell in us. They also identified the many gifts of the Holy Spirit; and discussed what it means to live with compassion and love. One of the Passionist priests created devotional audio-visual presentations to stoke our imagination during our prayers. These visual images helped to make our prayers more vivid and moving. There was also a documentary video by Bishop Robert Barron.

The day after the retreat one of the men reflected on his experience: “I went to Mass this morning and I was thinking -- I want to hold onto this feeling forever.” As the men carry the fellowship of the retreat into all areas of their lives they demonstrate the awakening of faith among our laity and the vibrancy of the New Evangelization in our churches.