BARABOO — Fr. Christopher Crotty will lead two “Healing of the Heart: Mission of Christ in the Modern World” retreats at Durward’s Glen Retreat and Educational Center.
According to Father Crotty, “We are healed and set free in Christ Jesus to proclaim His Wonders!” He will focus on Christ’s healing during this retreat.
The first retreat will be held May 20 to 22, starting Friday night at 6 p.m. and ending on Sunday at 12 noon. The second retreat will be held June 3 to 5, starting Friday night at 6 p.m. and ending Sunday at 12 noon.
The two retreats will each include time for Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Mass. Men and women are invited to attend.About Father Crotty
Father Crotty joined the Fathers of Mercy in 1995, attended Holy Apostles Seminary in Connecticut, and was ordained to the priesthood in 2001.
St. Martin of Tours in Louisville, Ky., was his first assignment, where he served for about a year. There, he said, he was first introduced to the needs of those seeking various kinds of healing and to the field of spiritual warfare.
Then he was placed on the mission band preaching retreats, conferences, and missions. Healing of memories, healing of physical ailments, and spiritual healing has been the focus of Father Crotty’s ministry. He became well known as a speaker and spent much time working in radio and television, as well as other media fields.
He was stationed at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wis., for approximately two years, where he discerned a further call in his religious vocation to serve the Eastern Catholic Churches. Holy Resurrection Monastery in St. Nazianz, Wis., has been his place of formation for this past year.
Influences on teachings
Father Crotty’s teachings have many influences both stemming from the Christian East and West, but perhaps some of his favorite spiritual writers and exemplars are Jean Vanier, Dom Columba Marmion, Bishop Louis Martinez, Hilaire Belloc, Gabriel Marcel, St. Charles of Mount Argus, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Symeon the New Theologian, and Simon Weil.
He will provide an introduction to the Fathers of the Eastern Church and the Desert Fathers, early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD.
One of his talks will include an explanation of Icon Gazing, the veneration of icons. Icons are pictures and works of art, but they are so much more: an icon is a window into heaven through which we see not just the physical representation of a person, but the spiritual reality of the one depicted. The icon, “Mary, Seeker of the Lost,” will be on display at the retreats and available for sale.
To register or get additional information, visit www.durwardsglen.org or email [email protected] or phone 608-356-8113. The registration fee for the May 20 to 22 retreat is $120 plus lodging. The registration fee for the June 3 to 5 is $150 plus lodging. Contact the office to reserve single or shared housing.