BARABOO — The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Vigil for Life will host the seventh annual Respect Life Retreat at Durward’s Glen Retreat and Conference Center in Baraboo on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19 and 20.
They are inviting anyone who works and/or prays to build a culture of life and who recognizes that this effort is ultimately the Lord’s battle to save souls and protect innocent lives from conception until natural death. All people of good will are welcomed.
Begins in Madison
The retreat will begin on Friday, Dec. 19, with an optional prayer vigil at 3 p.m. with Will Goodman outside the Planned Parenthood facility in Madison.
Participants will pray for the protection of the unborn and their mothers/fathers. The innocent victims lost due to abortion will be brought to God in prayer and solidarity.
The group will then move to Durward’s Glen. Registration and check-in are from 5 to 6 p.m. The first event is a simple meal.
Later, there will be mediations, followed by all-night Adoration. Throughout the weekend, participants will have opportunities for Confession, Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours, the Holy Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass — the “Source and Summit” of our Faith.
Saturday starts with the Rosary, Benediction, and Mass. The day will include meditations and a presentation after lunch.
The event will end with an optional prayer vigil at the Planned Parenthood facility in Portage at about 5 p.m.
Retreat master
The retreat master, Fr. Jorge Miramontes, pastor at Holy Family Parish in Waterloo, has been asked to offer Advent meditations which focus on Jesus Christ, keeping in mind that participants serve in various roles in the pro-life movement.
Father Miramontes said, “I hope that the individuals reading this will consider whether the Lord is calling you to live this retreat as a preparation for Advent and possibly to help out, in some fashion, build the Kingdom of God through peacefully and prayerfully fighting more closely in the pro-life movement.”
In describing this event, Will Goodman, director of the Servants, stated, “We hope to bring love and glory to God through this retreat, and provide an opportunity for retreatants to encounter Christ in the silence of their heart through prayer, the sacraments, Adoration, and Catholic Advent mediations.
“We pray that pro-lifers who attend will be sanctified and strengthened by Almighty God at this retreat so that their individual and collective efforts to build a culture of life would be pleasing to God and directed by the Holy Spirit.“
What retreatants can expect
Goodman said, “At the retreat, participants are asked to pray, observe silence, and respect the efforts of others to enter into communion with God during this sacred time set apart to be with Jesus Christ. A schedule of prayers, meals, and mediations are available, but everything is ultimately optional.
“After the retreat, we encourage the retreatants to continue to pray and put on the ‘armor of Christ’ since the work to defend life and marriage is a spiritual battle. In a special way, we invite the participants to pray for one another throughout the coming year, and that all human life, without exception, would be defended and protected by law.
“We also invite participants to join us for prayer at the nearby Planned Parenthood abortifacient dispensary to intercede for the little ones, their mothers, and for the souls of those involved in the contraceptive culture of death.”
Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe are a pro-life apostolate working out of the Diocese of La Crosse to promote respect for human life, human rights, and human dignity through prayer, study of Catholic Church teaching, and missionary outreach.
They started in 2001 under the direction of Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke (then bishop of La Crosse) to foster a deeper solidarity for all of the innocent victims of the culture of death, particularly preborn babies.
Their mission is simply to love Almighty with all our hearts and therefore seek to share Christ’s love with those whose lives and souls are in most danger.
They have prayer vigil mission sites in Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, La Crosse, Madison, and Winona, Minn. They do sidewalk counseling, organize prayer vigils, give educational presentations, organize pro-life training, host an annual retreat with Vigil for Life, collaborate with other Catholic and pro-life organizations, and provide a pro-life Catholic witness in a wide variety of settings.
The Servants are those volunteers who attend these vigils. Others who wish be associates to this work can become either part-time or full-time missionaries.
Jennifer Dunnett, one of the Servants, said, “The blessings I have encountered in this work is to see many people unite with an amazing dedication to not only protect the unborn but to end abortion entirely. There are so many dedicated people to this mission that will lose sleep, put up with extreme weather, and in spite of ridicule come back and do it again the next day.
“Meeting all of these dedicated people has been a blessing. Seeing a woman walk away from the abortion center never to come back and choose life is a blessing that is hard to describe. You can’t stop smiling and feel like your heart is going to burst.
“The biggest challenge is probably the spiritual warfare. That is why attending Mass, having a regular prayer life, and events like this retreat are important.”
How to register
Spaces for the Respect Life Retreat are limited, so call now to reserve your room. The cost per person is $65 and checks may be made payable to The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Financial assistance may be made available for those in need.
Call Jennifer Dunnett at 715-340-2779 or email her at [email protected] to reserve your spot.