“Be Still, and Know That I Am God,” A Spring Retreat

by Brendan Ryan, Third College

Every semester the seminarians of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence travels to an offsite location to prayerfully enter into a retreat, a time-honored practice in the Church.  In the Spring, the retreat always occurs around the liturgical season of Lent, when all Catholics are called to dedicate themselves with even more fervor to prayer in preparation for the celebration of the Easter mysteries. In a particular way, as seminarians discerning a vocation to the priesthood, the practice of making a retreat enables us to listen more attentively to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and will of God for our lives. With hearts preparing to sacrifice it all for the Lord and His Church, we set aside our classwork (a great challenge mid-semester!), any electronics or distractions, and our weekend schedule to journey with Him in silence. A great reminder of the need for silence is found in the Rule of St. Benedict which says, “Speaking and teaching are the master’s task; the disciple is to be silent and listen.” (Ch.6)

Accompanied by our retreat leader, Fr. Daniel Scheidt, a priest of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN and a seminary classmate of our own Fr. Michael Najim (Director of Spiritual Formation) our retreat was held at the Campion Renewal Center in Weston, MA. Fr. Scheidt provided a series of engaging and inspiring talks, leading to a further understanding of priestly life and ministry. As a pastor, he shared many of his own experiences and witnessed for us the integrity of a priest who lives the Gospel he preaches. In our conferences, we were aided by the intercession of St. Peter the Apostle and meditated on Peter’s reception of discipleship and faith, the rock on which Christ built His Church.

Fr. Scheidt balanced good humor with pastoral insights, providing us with concrete reflections to pray about and share for years to come. Especially significant in his talks were the themes of answering the call, the task of completing one’s duty, and the grace of the Lord that leads to fulfillment. The parallels between the seminarian and the soldier were discussed in a comparison with Marcus Luttrell’s mission in his book, Lone Survivor. Another memorable reflection encouraged each seminarian to consider John 21:11, where the Resurrected Christ asks Simon Peter, who had returned to his former practice as a fisherman, to again lower his net and, behold, 153 fish were lifted from the water. We were invited to go back to the start, to the place of our former practice, to count the 153 numerous graces the Lord individually gave in leading us to the seminary.

Retreats provide a blessed opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, a needed and welcomed time for all seminarians. Our time at Campion Renewal Center and other places like it is a great reminder that we are to remain sons of God in the world, but not of the world. Furthermore, we are able to give special attention to becoming men of authentic prayer. In the silence of retreats, we become unplugged from various distractions and reengaged in the most important activity, growing in union with God. In the depths of the seminarian is the invitation by the Lord to come “Follow me” (Mt. 4:19) and so every semester we follow Jesus who “went out to a lonely place and prayed.” (Mk. 1:35)