{"id":15948,"date":"2021-08-25T11:34:18","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T15:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fallriverdiocese.org\/?p=15948"},"modified":"2023-11-06T17:40:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T17:40:29","slug":"bishops-blog-end-of-summer-retreat-and-fall-preparations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fallriverdiocese.org\/pt-pt\/bishops-blog\/bishops-blog-end-of-summer-retreat-and-fall-preparations\/","title":{"rendered":"End of Summer Retreat and Fall Preparations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Bishop<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Region I Bishops\u2019 Retreat<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Once a year, usually in August, the Bishops of the New England area go on retreat together. Typically, it is held at the Franciscan House in Kennebunk, Maine. After missing a year due to the pandemic, we were all looking forward to spending time last week in prayer and reflection. In fact, the attendance was one of our best, with 18 Bishops participating. We enjoyed the rest, the nice weather, and we all experienced an overall wonderful week.<\/span>
\nOur retreat days consisted of morning prayer and Mass, with different bishops taking turns presiding over both. The Retreat Master always preaches in that morning Mass. This year our retreat was led by Bishop Paul Loverde, Bishop Emeritus from the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia. A conference was held mid-morning, followed by time for prayer and reflection. Later in the day, we\u2019d gather again for evening prayer and another conference at 7 p.m. This would be followed by night prayer with the remainder of the evening to ourselves to pray and rest.<\/span>
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\nDuring our downtime, we could spend time in personal reflection, visit the chapel or take a walk. We converted one of the extra rooms in our building into a Blessed Sacrament Chapel, as the facility\u2019s chapel was located in a separate building. This room was perfect for personal prayer and time with the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration, an important element of any retreat.
\nWe all live very busy lives, and taking time to step aside from our worries and daily responsibilities to pause to reconnect with God, others, and ourselves is very important. To recharge our spiritual \u201cbattery\u201d physically and spiritually with the nourishment and rest a retreat can give. It keeps us nourished for the long journey, strengthened for another year. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons are required by canonical law to go on retreat each year; however, if possible, everyone should try to take advantage of some type of retreat. Retreats are a little different than a vacation, where we not only rest and recharge our bodies, but we make time to strengthen our spiritual life and grow closer to Christ.
\nThere are three kinds of retreats:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n