ACTS Retreats

An ACTS retreat is a four day and three night Catholic lay retreat presented by fellow parishioners. The retreat begins on Thursday evening and ends on Sunday at a Mass celebrated with the parish community.

Retreats for men and retreats for women are given separately. Talks and activities during the retreat focus on Adoration, Community, Theology and Service, from which the ACTS program acronym is derived. Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are the guides for the retreats. The retreat takes on the traditions and atmosphere of the parish community sponsoring it. The retreat facilitates the attainment of a new or deeper relationship with the Lord through:

Adoration – the call by, acceptance of, and response to God,
Community – the love and caring of each other,
Theology – the study of God through scripture and the Catholic Faith,
Service – to God and his people.

Each retreat is conducted by a retreat team composed of 25 individuals who have attended prior ACTS retreats.

An ACTS weekend is designed to help the retreatants enter into a new or deeper relationship with our Lord and fellow parishioners. This is accomplished through Adoration and daily prayer, the call to Community in one’s parish as a member of the Body of Christ, and Theology in encouraging the study of scripture and our Catholic Faith. All of these which emphasize and encourage the virtue of Service to our Lord, our parish and one another.
 

The weekend is a powerful and enduring personal experience.

There will be talks that draw from the personal experiences of team members that focus on Adoration, the need for prayer and meditation on the word of God. Community, the importance of community built on faith and love, Theology, the need to read and understand scripture and our Catholic Faith and Service, the need to answer Christ’s call to servanthood.

Activities conducted during the weekend give retreatants a better understanding of the significance and importance of prayer, liturgy, the sacraments, scripture, community and service. Retreatants are also given guidance to help them in their faith journey. It is a powerful community building experience.

The ACTS weekend brings the retreatants to a better understanding of God’s love for them and also develops their need to share that love with others through their involvement in a faith-centered parish community. The retreat emphasizes our call to service, service to the parish community and to our world community. There results a new or renewed dedication to the life of the parish community and a new recognition of the needs of those around us and of our obligation, as followers of Christ, to help meet those needs.