Author: ediehl

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2020 Men’s Retreat was a life-changing experience

The 2020 Men’s retreat was held last weekend at Fr. Bernard Youth Center in Mt. Angel.  56 men were in attendance, including two Mt. Angel Seminarians that joined us on Saturday.  It was a very fulfilling experience, helping each man grow and strengthen their personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The music, as always, was awesome.  A new lineup of talks and personal testimony touched many hearts.  It is difficult to describe this retreat in words; it has to be experienced to truly understand that impact it has on men’s lives.

The Women’s retreat is coming up March 20 – 22, there is still time to register!  Register Here Now.

Mark your calendars for 2021
Men’s Retreat – March 5 – 7, 2021
Women’s Retreat – March 19 – 21, 2021

Dennis Lulay
Stephen Correia
Stephen Correia
Fr. Peter O’Brien
John King
Ed Diehl

Fr. Peter O’Brien
Fr. Peter O’Brien
Ed Diehl

Music Ministry (Larry Etzel, Ron Etzel, Dennis Lulay, Randy Bentz) Not Pictured – Joe Amsbury

 

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Important information for the 2020 Come, Follow Me Men’s Retreat

Here is some very important information for the men’s retreat.  Please read, and call or email us if you have any questions.

Location and time

The 2020 Men’s Retreat will be held February 28th through March 1st at Father Bernard Youth Center, 980 S Main St, Mt Angel, OR 97362.  Our check-in desk opens at 6:30 pm Friday; please arrive before 7:00 pm. Please eat a good meal prior to your arrival. We will have light snacks available Friday evening but no meal.

Arrival and orientation

There is plenty of parking at the Center.  Proceed to the main lobby where a retreat team member will greet you and check you in.  We recommend you leave your bags in your car until you have checked in.  Orientation will begin at 7:40 pm sharp.  At that time we will provide additional details for the retreat schedule.

Accommodations

We will be using the retreat center dormitory for the two nights of our retreat.  You will be assigned a sleeping room, and will have time to settle in and set up your bed. You will be sleeping two to a room; please call or email if you have a specific bunking buddy request.  Some rooms can accommodate up to 3 people – if you are in a group just let us know.

What to bring

Twin bed linens (bedsheets, pillow, blanket or sleeping bag)
Bible
Journal & Pen
Toiletries
Towel
Water bottle
Clothing for two nights

To minimize the costs of the retreat you are expected to bring our own linens.  Please bring your own bedsheets, pillow, and blanket for a twin bed, or bring a sleeping bag.

Meals

Meals will be provided by the Center.  We will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday.  On Sunday we will have breakfast and a potluck with friends and family.

Light between meal snacks will be provided along with water, coffee and tea.

Please call or email If you have any special dietary needs, or any other special needs, that you didn’t share on your registration form.

Sunday Potluck with wives and family

At 1:30 pm on Sunday afternoon we will have a potluck reception & celebration with our families.  Friends and family, including children, are welcome and should plan on meeting you at the Center cafeteria, just off the main lobby.  Since this is a potluck, please have your family bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert. The typical instruction is families with last names starting with A-I bring a main dish, J-R bring a side dish, and S-Z bring dessert.  However, if you have a great dish your family wants to share, bring it regardless of your last name!

Our retreat weekend will close at 3:00 pm Sunday evening.

Emergency contact information

The retreat phone number is 541.525.9310.  Please share this with anyone that may need to reach you in case of an emergency.  This number accepts voice and text messages.

The entire retreat team looks forward to seeing you.  Let’s all pray for a fulfilling and rewarding retreat!

Blessings,

Ed Diehl
Come, Follow Me Retreats
541.525.9310
[email protected]

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Encounter Christ during Lent at a Come, Follow Me Retreat

The Come Follow Me Retreat creates a dynamic opportunity for a personal encounter with Christ. This year the retreat falls during Lent! I think this is a great opportunity! I was just visiting with some fellow parishioners and one of them asked if I had any special material for Lent this year. They said they wanted to have something different, a change from their ordinary routine for Lent. We know that the Church directs us to use prayer, fasting and almsgiving to go deeper in our lives of faith. As we follow the Church’s guidance, we discover God’s loving presence in an intimate way. God comes near as a helper, a healer, an encourager, and as a gentle, loving friend.

Make the Come, Follow Me Retreat part of your Lenten Celebration

This retreat is for those who want to have something different than what they have had in the past. Anytime someone comes out of their usual routine to encounter the Lord, the Lord responds! He provides something extra special for them. I am sure God has something special in mind for you too!

On behalf of the entire Come, Follow Me retreat team, we look forward to seeing you at one of our 2020 retreats.

Please share this retreat with others.

Blessings,

Fr. Peter O’Brien +++

Men’s:   7 pm February 28 –  3 pm March 1, 2020    register here

Women’s:   7 pm March 20 – 3 pm March 22, 2020    register here

Interested in sharing your personal testimony and/or participating on the team?

Being part of the retreat team is a rewarding and inspirational experience.  You can help spread God’s glory by sharing your own story or helping the team in many other ways.  Just call 541.525.9310 or email us at [email protected] to learn more.

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A special Advent message from Fr. Peter O’Brien of Come, Follow Me Retreats

Advent is a time like no other!  When God chose to enter the scene as a child born in a manger at Bethlehem, the Israelite people were under the yoke of Roman occupation.  OUCH!  In the depths of their hearts, they hoped for a leader who would raise an unconquerable force, run the foreigners out and establish a secure kingdom for the Jewish people.  Little did they expect a surprise like Jesus!  He came instead as a teacher who invited them to a way of life that was radically different than what they had imagined.  During the Advent season we are invited to contemplate Jesus’ first coming and try to open ourselves to the unexpected!  Mother Mary and St. Joseph were no doubt surprised!  God is the master of surprises!  The first step, from their example, is to be open to God’s plan.  After that, if you’re like me, you may find yourself being surprised, humbled and renewed as you allow God to lead you in the way of life he calls you to.  It’s a form of surrender, but the surrender is not forced; it’s a gentle invitation and God is the best leader.  Jesus is a healer, reconciler and giver of life, peace and joy!  May God bless us all on they way!+++

On behalf of the entire Come, Follow Me retreat team, we look forward to seeing you at one of our 2020 retreats.

Please share this retreat with others.

Blessings,

Fr. Peter O’Brien +++

Men’s:   7 pm February 28 –  3 pm March 1, 2020    register here

Women’s:   7 pm March 20 – 3 pm March 22, 2020    register here

Interested in sharing your personal testimony and/or participating on the team?

Being part of the retreat team is a rewarding and inspirational experience.  You can help spread God’s glory by sharing your own story or helping the team in many other ways.  Just call 541.525.9310 or email us at [email protected] to learn more.

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A Journey in Faith – A message from Fr. Peter O’Brien

The Come, Follow Me Retreat holds a special place in my heart.  Each year we hear and tell new stories about the great things that God is doing in our lives and we hear “God stories” from those we are with. As pilgrims on the way, we gain new perspective. We feel mutual support and reconnect at a deeper level with God, Mother Mary and each other. By Sunday afternoon, the Holy Spirit has revitalized and energized us. We return to our mission field of family, parish and workplace better equipped and happier than before. I love this journey!

On behalf of the entire retreat team, we look forward to seeing you at one of our 2020 retreats.

Please share this retreat with others.

Blessings,

Fr. Peter O’Brien +++

Men’s:   7 pm February 28 –  3 pm March 1, 2020    register here

Women’s:   7 pm March 20 – 3 pm March 22, 2020    register here

Interested in sharing your personal testimony and/or participating on the team?

Being part of the retreat team is a rewarding and inspirational experience.  You can help spread God’s glory by sharing your own story or helping the team in many other ways.  Just call 541.525.9310 or email us at [email protected] to learn more.

 

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2020 Come, Follow Me Retreat dates are set

We’ve confirmed our 2020 retreat dates with Fr. Bernard Youth Center.  Mark your calendars and register online anytime.

Men’s:   7PM February 28 –  4PM March 1, 2020    register here

Women’s:   7PM March 20 – 4PM March 22, 2020    register here

See you there!

Interested in sharing your personal testimony and/or participating on the team?

Being part of the retreat team is a rewarding and inspirational experience.  You can help spread God’s glory by sharing your own story or helping the team in many other ways.  Just call 541.525.9310 or email us at [email protected] to learn more.

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Women’s Retreat – Sisters in Christ!

We recently held our 3rd Come, Follow Me Women’s Retreat. The retreat was a moving, heart-felt weekend for the team and the participants – with 47 people in attendance – the Holy Spirit was with us!

Some feedback from the retreat participants:

“Thank you for all your hard work and bringing me face-to-face with Jesus”

“I needed this time to move away from the chaos and stress of life.  To strengthen my relationship with God and heal the brokenness inside me.”

“Having time to reflect and meditate on Jesus and also to reflect on myself and my life”

“Everything was more beneficial then I would have ever imagined”

“The companionship of ladies.  The love of Jesus through all the women.  The new beginnings!  The resources how to do better in life.“

“It ran seamlessly, on time and with much care and enthusiasm from the team”

Look for our upcoming retreat in March  2020!

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Spirit-filled Men’s Retreat completed, Women’s retreat coming up!

The men recently completed our 4th Come, Follow Me Retreat.  It was an amazing experience, with 48 men in attendance.  The retreat was a moving, heart-felt weekend for the team and the participants – the Holy Spirit was with us!

Some feedback from the retreat participants:

“Format was bold, invasive, challenging, powerful, and deeply rooted in Christ”

“Simply and dramatically changed my life from this point forward”

“Inspiring and motivating”

“There were talks that could touch virtually everyone and every experience”

“Restarted my spiritual conversion with Jesus”

“Great venue”

“It provides time for more knowledge of [each] other’s struggles and [the] path they are traveling”

“Personal, raw, testimonies – authentic”

“[Learned] ways to be a better father”

The Women’s Retreat will be held the weekend of February 23 at the same location, Father Bernard Youth Center in Mt. Angel, Oregon.  It follows the same format and is always a moving experience.  Come, rekindle your relationship with Jesus Christ.  You can learn more and register here.

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A note from Fr. Peter – Come to the retreat!

Greetings!

A principle element in invitation and attendance at the retreat is a personal relationship with Jesus.  As Catholics, we find ourselves living out our faith within an institutional framework.  So referring to a personal relationship with Jesus may seem a little odd because we don’t always hear that phrase.  But if we look more closely at what the Scripture stories reveal and what the lives of all the Saints reveal: it is all about a personal relationship with God.

The Incarnation–God enters human nature through a particular family, place and time in history. He lived within a particular culture with its own mores and music, customs and beliefs about creation, life, poetry, philosophy, medicine, agriculture and science.  Jesus had the same things that we all do.  Jesus came to teach and reveal the truth about God and the human person, yes!  But he also came to EMBRACE what it is to be human in each one of us–in a personal particular way!

For most people to be in the presence of the Lord can be a little intimidating.  We are very aware of our shortcomings, failures, faults and sins.  When we come on a retreat, this awareness may feel heightened.  We may feel unworthy or unlovable.  But here is the point of the personal relationship: Jesus already chooses us personally.  He knows us intimately and loves us with our faults, weaknesses, imperfections and sins.  Jesus embraces our humanity with all it has in it.  He doesn’t want an institutionalized relationship–as if he is the corporate head and we are of no personal interest to him.  No, He wants a very personal relationship with us.

Think about it: If you meet a person you really enjoy and really connect with, you choose to open up and become friends.  You make plans to spend time together, you go places and do things together.  Your friendship and trust grow into love and appreciation for each other even while being aware of “human characteristics” that you are willing to tolerate because you love them and enjoy them so much.  You WANT that person to be in your life and they want you in their life!  There is no fear or embarrassment about yourself because they accept you and you accept them. This is a good beginning for understanding the relationship Jesus wants with us.

Strengthen your relationship with Jesus.  Come again, and share with others.

Blessings to you!+++

Fr. Peter O’Brien

Next Retreats – Men:  January 25-27, 2019      Women:  February 22-24, 2019