Seminarian Retreat 07

 

By: Stephen Decarlo

            On July 21-27 2007, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough sent its seminarians and some invited guests, myself and another young man, on an annual seminarian retreat which was held at St. John the Baptist Church in Morinus, located on Lake Rosseau in beautiful Muskoka. The seminarians, Jerry Tavares, Craig Cruikshank, Nick Carvahlo, Frank Brick, and Ante Market, as well as myself and the other young man, were vacationing at this picture-perfect resort for some physical and spiritual rest and to reflect on the priestly call and the exact nature of the priesthood. We were joined by the retreat master, Father Joseph Devereaux, who provided spiritual reflections in our conferences together. Father Joseph Moran also joined us for a short while as well. The retreat was divided into two parts: vacation and the actual retreat itself.

            There was plenty of rest time and activities during this retreat. Fr. Moran took a few of us fishing on spectacular lake Rosseau in his aluminum fishing boat. He also took us on rides showing us the scenery of the lake, including the “Queen Victoria”, a rock formation nearby which resembles the face of Queen Victoria! Canoeing was a favourite activity among us. Just a word to the wise: If you are canoeing with Ante, make sure you are a very good swimmer! Of course, being on a lake allows swimming, so there was plenty of that! This was where we just took it easy and relaxed - by throwing and pushing Nick into the water! (Not that he deserved it, of course. He was a willing participant in his manhandling). The highlight of the vacation time was a drive up to Algonquin Park, where we hiked through its massive forest and enjoyed the beauty of God’s nature.

            After this hiking the actual retreat began. This came in the form of various conferences Fr. Devereaux presented. The conferences were centered on the vocation to the priesthood and Fr. Devereaux talked about a specific topic relevant to the priesthood. It should be noted that although these conferences were focused on the priesthood, they still had relevance for any Catholic. We discovered that prayer was the most important aspect of a priest’s life as indeed it is for any Christian’s life; that if a priest didn’t pray regularly, his ministry would suffer. The importance of living a holy and moral life was discussed. Spiritual reading, as Father had explained, was also another necessity for a priest’s ministry and his spiritual life. A failure to do so could mean disaster for not only a priest’s spiritual life but that of his parishioners. Celibacy was touched upon, as it is a big part of the priestly vocation. Humility, which is a great virtue to have for all Christians, was explored. Fr. Devereaux encouraged the seminarians and the guests to have a special part in their hearts for the Blessed Virgin Mary, as Our Lady is the Queen of the Clergy. During this retreat, it was required that we maintain an atmosphere of complete silence (Great Silence) in order for us to reflect on the conferences, prayer, and the call to follow Christ in Holy Orders.

            Although all this might sound intimidating hearing it for the first time, it was actually a very beautiful and spiritually fulfilling experience. The Great Silence was an asset, as it allowed us to silence all distracting noise and to really focus on God. The conference topics gave us the chance to reflect on the priestly ministry which is something every young man should seriously consider.

            One of the many highlights of this retreat was this couple vacationing from California who had a cottage across the lake who invited all of us to visit their spectacular cottage and have some ice-cream at a near-by Port Carling.  They drove us over in their very nice antique boat, which was a very relaxing ride.

            Dinner each day was provided by the very generous parishioners of St. John the Baptist. They provided food such as a very juicy, delicious steak, salads, Sheppard’s pie, lasagna, and much more. May God bless these wonderful people and Father Bill who organized the meal plan!

            There was also some celebrity on this retreat! One parishioner brought over to the retreat house none other than Wendel Clark, a former Toronto Maple Leafs Left Winger who brought with him autographed photographs of himself to be given out to some lucky alter- servers.

            We also had the pleasure of having the Most Reverend Bishop Nicola DeAngelis visit us. He presided over the Sunday Mass and in his Homily spoke about his getting the Pope to sign the SONfest ‘06 poster (which hangs in St. John Bosco room at the VEYO centre) and his trip to the tomb of Saint Peter. He gave a conference about the importance of obedience in the priesthood and joined us in the praying of Vespers (Evening Prayer). At dinner, he enlightened us with his always interesting stories.

            In conclusion, the retreat was very relaxing, spiritual uplifting, and totally rewarding. ‘Thank you’ to Bishop DeAngelis, Fr. Devereaux, Fr. Bill, Fr. Moran, Fr. Norbert, and to all the nice parishioners, whom God has all gathered together and inspired. It was truly a blessed gathering. I had a whole lot of fun and am presently waiting for the retreat in 2008!