The two parishes in Crown Point have come together to plan an Advent Retreat that will take place on Dec. 13 at the Carmelite Shrine in Munster. The day will include reflections from several guest speakers, a vigil Mass and provide plenty of opportunity to reflect during “Pause & Prepare: Beauty Born in the Broken.”
Pastoral Associate of Ministry at St. Matthias, Jackie Gentry, said the parish often offers Advent opportunities for prayer and reflection, but is blessed this year to be collaborating with St. Mary in an effort to bring new perspectives and insights into the season.
“We are most looking forward to the new connections that we are confident will be made throughout the day,” Gentry said. “We know society tells us to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays.”
She said “Pause and Prepare” allows the congregation to do just that – to take time to truly reflect on the coming of Jesus.
“This retreat falls perfectly in the middle of the Advent Season, giving us that respite we may need to (experience) the true joy of the season,” Gentry said. “We are thrilled that two parishes can come together to offer a great opportunity for the Catholics of Crown Point and our friends throughout the Diocese of Gary.”
In bringing the parishes of St. Mary and St. Matthias together as one family of faith, Father Declan McNicholas said, the Church becomes more visible and more alive. Instead of being simply two parishes sitting side by side, through working together, the communities share greater gifts, reminding those involved that they are part of something bigger – the Church.
The associate pastor of St. Mary said he is most excited to watch people come alive spiritually. He believes there is something powerful that happens when the faithful step away from the busyness of life, even briefly, and allow the Lord to speak.
“I am looking forward to seeing hearts rested, renewed and refocused, to watching the Holy Spirit move in real time,” he said. “Advent is a season of hope, and I am eager to witness that hope taking root in people again.”
Father McNicholas shared that his hope is for people to leave the retreat not simply informed, but transformed. He explained that he would like participants to walk away with a deeper awareness of Jesus' presence in their daily life, in their families, in their worries and in the ordinary moments.
“I want them to leave with peace, clarity, and a renewed sense that God is close,” he said. “Advent is not only something we observe, but something we live, and I hope they feel that more deeply.
Father McNicholas noted that the season of Advent is an invitation to slow down and prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. He noted that before the shepherds heard the angels sing, there was quiet, waiting and stillness.
“We live in a world that is quick to rush to Christmas long before we arrive there, yet Advent teaches us to watch, to wait, and to expect,” Father McNicholas said. “Reflection in Advent helps us make room for Christ so that when He comes, He does not just enter our calendar, He enters our hearts.”
Father Steven Caraher, who will be one of the speakers during the retreat along with Sister Moana Grace, agreed. He said people often live their lives like it’s just one thing after another, and get caught up in the busyness of life, and often, unintentionally and unreflectively, go about their days.
“Shopping needs to get done, deadlines are approaching, our calendars are filling up,” the associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Merrillville said. “Thank God that the Church has given us the season of Advent, an intentional liturgical time for us to both pause and prepare our hearts for the great grace of Jesus’ coming at Christmas, commemorating his coming in history, his coming to us in the present, and preparing for His future coming.”
Father Caraher added that during Advent it’s good to spend time pondering the great mystery of Christ’s incarnation; that God became man so that man might be able to share in the life of God. He shared that an important aspect of this mystery is that Jesus came into the world veiled in weakness. He didn’t come as warlord or great mythic titan from heaven, said Father Caraher, but as an infant, and wants his people to approach and encounter Him in His weakness, that they might be able to share their weakness with Him.
“People often forget that the weeks leading up to Christmas shouldn’t just be about preparing for the externals of the celebration of Christmas: shopping for gifts, decorating the house, baking cookies, and the like,” Father Caraher said. “All of these are great things, but the most important thing for us is to prepare our souls to receive Christ in our hearts. That can only be done by taking pause, opening ourselves up to Him in prayer, and receiving Him with the same humility that His mother received Him.”
Those interested in attending the Advent retreat should contact St. Matthias to register by calling (219) 663-2201 or visiting https://www.zeffy.com/en-us/ticketing/pause-and-prepare-advent-retreat.
