Holy Family Parish hosts Light of the World Retreat

	Members of Holy Family Parish in Marshall and Waterloo participated in a Light of the World Retreat recently, the first in a series of retreats inviting parishioners to seek a deeper faith. Pastor Fr. Jorge Miramontes, back right, led the retreat. (Photo by Joe Demendi, LOTW Ministries)

MARSHALL/WATERLOO — Holy Family Parish in Waterloo and Marshall held a Light of the World (LOTW) Retreat for its members from May 16 to 19.

This is the first in a series of retreats that will be held. The LOTW Evangelization Process promotes parish outreach to welcome back those who have strayed from the Church while inviting all those who seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

Beyond a weekend retreat, Light of the World supports participants’ long-term faith journey, with small group support, continuing spiritual education, and engagement as disciples.

Reaching out to all parishioners

The LOTW Retreat is based on the kerygma (the story of salvation) and reaches out to every member of a parish, no matter where they are in their faith journey, and invites them to a deeper relationship with our Lord and a greater knowledge of the Catholic faith.

Unfortunately, many Christians have learned about Jesus without ever truly encountering Christ. Our Risen Savior does not merely want us to know about him. Rather, he wants us to know him; to enter into an intimate relationship with him; to have a personal encounter with him.

	How it works JoEllen Gregus, operations director for Light of the World (LOTW), provided a summary of the Leadership Preparation Process that LOTW follows for evangelization. First retreat Once the questions have been answered, the parish signed a goodwill agreement saying that they won’t share the master materials that they receive with other parishes. They pay a license fee, which varies depending on the size of the parish. In addition, they cover the transportation and lodging costs for the four retreat leaders who come from LOTW to lead the retreat process. The pastor is asked to select a parish liaison, who will manage the registration, schedule the rooms, and arrange the snacks and meals, and a small group coordinator, who will work with the retreat leaders on small group discussions. The pastor is asked to engage with his parish members to invite them to attend, prepare and present some of the talks, and administer the sacraments during the retreat. It’s important to have enough people for the first retreat so that the process can grow. Sometimes, this means making personal contacts with members to invite them to attend. During the retreat, retreat leaders work with the parish liaison and small group coordinator to prepare for the follow up small group meetings that continue after the retreat is completed. They receive materials and training on managing groups. Second retreat This time two retreat leaders come from LOTW to lead the retreat process. The rest of the leadership comes from the past participants at the parish. Third retreat One retreat leader comes from LOTW and serves as a consultant, while the parish members lead the retreat. Future retreats The parish is ready to lead these retreats themselves. To learn more about Light of the World, contact Joseph Demendi at [email protected] or call 815-529-8600.

As the popes have emphasized in their talks about the New Evangelization, Christ is alive. He wants us to encounter him with open eyes and palpitating heart.

The LOTW Retreat facilitates this personal encounter with Christ for all attendees, through an effective proclamation of the Gospel message and a renewal of the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

Retreat leaders include pastor

This retreat was proclaimed by Fr. Jorge Miramontes, pastor of Holy Family Parish, and a Light of the World team of lay men and women: Gregg Jensen, Mary George, and Cheri and Scott Hill.

The retreat leaders weave their own witness into the message of salvation in order to make it real and personal for their fellow participants. Participants were given the opportunity to process the message of the kerygma in small group discussions and in silent reflection at the Adoration chapel. The retreat is held on the parish grounds to reinforce the reality of parish as family and church as home.

Parish building model

Brian Truckenbrod, director of evangelization for LOTW, described this parish building model, “They (pastors) recognize that this is the ancient model — the same model that the Lord, Jesus Christ, implemented.

“The pastor is meeting the spiritual needs of his disciples, and they, in turn, go out and bring others — they share Jesus, the Light of the World. They recognize that their people are hungry for a community where they are visible, recognized, and valued and can share their faith with others who share the same values. This is ultimately why pastors do this program.”

He said, “Pastors recognize that they have many people who are disengaged. The number of people truly engaged in the parish community is small, compared to our towns. Every pastor has a desire to reach every soul in their community. Through this program, they have the people who can accomplish that mission.”

Father Miramontes said that despite his initial reservations about the program, due to a limited budget and the small parish size, he felt that the Holy Spirit prompted him to do it and provided what they needed to make it happen.

“I remember clearly when Father Miramontes said yes,” said Joseph Demendi, parish evangelization consultant for LOTW. “He told me that the Holy Spirit had moved him. It was so beautiful. He told me, ‘If we aren’t evangelizing, then what are we doing?'”

Change in parishioners

As he reflected on the retreat, Father Miramontes said, “I saw a forming community this weekend. It was very moving that God was providing a family for me and for other people here.”

He noticed a change in his members. “They are on fire for God. They are more open to the Holy Spirit in their lives. They were humbled — because of all they experienced — because of the stories that were shared.”

It’s his hope that “they would be active, invite others, and be hungry to help teach it and catechize in the parish — that they will continue seeking to satisfy that hunger for the Lord.” He expects that they will be a more integral part of the parish and that the parish will become more vibrant.

Truckenbrod’s description of the results they have seen mirror Father Miramontes’ hope. “Parishes engaged in Light of the World often report they have five to 10 times as many people learning about their faith and participating in parish life. We see more volunteers. More people involved in Adoration. More people coming to confession. And we see more people coming to Church.”

Father Miramontes said, “This is a calling by the Holy Spirit to respond to the Holy Father and to participate in the New Evangelization. And this is a strong resource to do that. You can do this without reinventing the wheel. You don’t have to invent anything. That’s the beauty of it — you are provided what you need. This is a way of doing it — of doing what the Holy Father asks us to do.”