The annual retreat was an occasion for the priests of the Diocese to be renewed spiritually in the fire of the Holy Spirit so that when they return to their respective parishes, they become enthusiastic in proclaiming the Word of God to the people entrusted to their care.
Retreat Information
The annual retreat of the priests of Nashik Diocese was held at Satyagiri, Dominican Retreat Centre, Igatpuri from November 10, 2024 to November 15, 2024. The Retreat Preacher was Fr Bineesh Thomas, a Dominican Priest who guided all the priests through the renewal of the spiritual journey. In his opening address, Bishop Barthol spoke to the priests about the seriousness of the annual Retreat. He motivated the priests to spend time in the Chapel and to refrain from speaking to other priests and to the extent possible, to switch off the mobile. He was also present for the concluding Eucharist on November 15. Thirty-five priests of the Catholic Diocese of Nashik were present for the retreat.
Retreat Overview
The retreat featured a series of sessions, prayers, rosaries, Divine Mercy prayers, reflections, the Holy Eucharist and the Adoration Service. The sessions of Fr Bineesh Thomas were of deep reflections on the Scripture passages adorned with his own personal testimonies and witnesses. Deliberate reading, meditating and reflecting on the Scripture were helpful in encountering Jesus. This Lectio Divina helped all the priests to grow in a relationship with Jesus.
The other important aspect of the retreat was the silence. And in the silence of the hearts, the priests were able to listen to the voice of the Lord calling out to live a priestly life faithfully. The main themes on which Fr Bineesh reflected upon were the Priesthood Faith Crisis, Discipleship, Virtue of Integrity, Holy Eucharist and Mother Mary. All the priests engaged themselves in the enriching spiritual activities, spent a lot of time in prayer and reflection. This retreat also helped the priests of the Diocese to foster the sense of unity and love among themselves.
The Dominican Retreat Centre helped our priests to experience God’s love and compassion and especially God’s precious gift of the priesthood. Fr Bineesh Thomas, Fr K.C. Joseph and Fr Xavier Kandulna were available to the priests so that they could experience peace and harmony in their lives through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The whole Staff of the Retreat Centre took good care of the priests. All were happy and satisfied with the spiritual nourishment as well as bodily nourishment. All Praise to God for the anointed time spent with HIM.
Fr Wilson Rodrigues