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| An exact size digital replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was on display at the Respect Life Retreat last month at Durward’s Glen in Baraboo. (Cathy Lins photo) |
The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Vigil for Life held their seventh annual Respect Life Retreat at Durward’s Glen Retreat and Conference Center in Baraboo on December 19 to 20.
The weekend provided an opportunity for participants to encounter Christ in the silence of their heart through prayer, the sacraments, Adoration, and Catholic Advent mediations.
“I was just excited to be at Durward’s Glen again for another Advent retreat,” Will Goodman, director for the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said as he shared some of his observations from the weekend.
“There is something very special about being on this ‘holy ground’ during this reverential liturgical season in which we Catholics are prayerfully awaiting the celebration of the birth of our Divine Savior. The Glen is a hallowed jewel in the wilderness where it is perfect to contemplate Jesus in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Retreat appreciation
Goodman said that participants were quite positive in their appreciation for the retreat at the Glen — a few of the participants really enjoyed being able to walk the grounds and pray in the quiet of nature’s own beautiful solitude.
He reported that the participants were also quite uniform in their deep gratitude for Fr. Jorge Miramontes’ inspiring meditations.
“The Lord greatly blessed us on our Respect Life Advent Retreat with many special graces, including sacred time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament during all-night silent Adoration,” he added.
“For me, I experienced real peace when I had a moment to sit down in the chapel and pray in recollection while in Christ’s sacramental Real Presence. I was also blessed with some time to rest and relax before the fireplace in the warm parlor room, praying a few decades. It was also a gift to meet so many good life defenders from around the state and pray with them, while being led by a holy priest — Father Jorge, who did a fantastic job.”
Father Miramontes, retreat master and pastor at Holy Family Parish in Waterloo, focused his meditations on prayer — exploring intercessory prayer in greater depth.
Intercessory prayer
Father Miramontes shared an example of intercessory prayer.
“Sr. Ann Shields tells the story of a group of ladies that got together for a prayer meeting in Ohio. They had been praying for three years for an abortion clinic to close — three years. Yet, it seemed that the clinic not only didn’t close, but prospered. They would pray and pray for the owner of the clinic to close it because that seemed the will of God, what God wanted.
“As they were discussing it in the car, one of the ladies said that if the will of God was that the abortion clinic would close, why not verify it with Him? One of the other ladies responded that it was obvious that the will of God was that the clinic would close. A third lady suggested that if they were truly praying in the name of the Lord, why not ask him if that was truly his will.
“So they prayed, ‘Lord, if you want to change our prayer, do so. We can’t imagine you want to do anything else. But if you want to change something or show us something better, please do and let us know.’
“All of the sudden, everyone in the car came to the same conclusion — ‘We have to pray for the conversion of the owner.’ They were at awe because God had showed them what to pray for. They prayed for that, and after one month, the owner converted and he closed the clinic. They had been praying for three years and it only took Jesus a month.
“These ladies understood the principle of intercessory prayer. They understood that God loves everyone and want everyone to change. This is the power of intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is to ask the Lord to reveal his heart and mind to you and pray for those intentions,” said Father Miramontes.
“Often times, incorrectly, what we understand to be prayer of intercession is a prayer of petition. It is us telling God what we would like him to do. However, for intercession, we are guided by the Holy Spirit to that which we should we pray for and how we should pray.
“We have to learn to listen to God, because if we don’t listen to God, we will pray and pray for a situation for a very long time and we will end up frustrated, very frustrated, and we can end up being very discouraged. Our prayer maybe is not God’s — that’s why when we pray, we don’t always get what we are asking for. We don’t know how to ask.
“God wants to become flesh in us so as to make us another Jesus and so that we would pray with his mind and heart. If we understand that, it changes the way we pray in the pro-life movement.”
Father Miramontes said the best thing intercessors have is their gift of simply asking the Lord to do what He has already revealed that He wants to do.
Relic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Will Goodman said, “It was an honor to travel with the Relic Missionary Image from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tepeyac, Mexico. We are thankful to the Marian Center for Peace in the Diocese of La Crosse for this blessing!”
Goodman explained the significance of the symbols within the image and what it communicated to the local people and led to widespread conversion. He highlighted how these symbols still guide the work of the pro-life movement.
The relic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Mother of America Chapel at the Marian Center for Peace of Wisconsin Rapids is one of 220 relics intended for distribution throughout the world, only four of which are currently in the United States.
Digital replica
In November of 2004, 220 exact-size digital replicas of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe were touched by Msgr. Diego Monroy to the sacred original tilma of St. Juan Diego, which is safeguarded at the International Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Monsignor Monroy, in the first formal ceremonial procedure of this kind in more than 472 years, officially declared that each relic image “will carry the same graces of evangelization, conversion, healing, and truth” as does the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that first miraculously appeared on St. Juan Diego’s tilma in the year 1531.
The Marian Center for Peace is also privileged to be the caretaker for a set of traveling images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Divine Mercy. These images have been taken to pro-life events, Marian conferences, and Eucharistic processions.
Goodman said, “Since the retreat, I have continued my travels with the Relic Missionary Image to Illinois for presentations in the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Peoria.
“More missionary travels are set to go in 2015 to Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., for the March for Life with Pro-Life Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, and (hopefully) the state of Washington and Florida. Please keep the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Vigil for Life, La Crosse Life League, and Durward’s Glen in your prayers!”
To arrange a pilgrimage visit to the Mother of America Chapel at the Marian Center for Peace, call 715-424- 6279 or email [email protected]
To learn more about The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe, call Jennifer Dunnett at 715-340-2779 or email her at [email protected]