top of page
St. Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr
RETREATS
Seeking Intimate Communion
with Christ the Servant
While the primary focus of Diaconal Ministries is deacons, Deacon Dominic also provides retreats, days of reflection and missions to the laity with an emphasis on servant spirituality This spirituality is reflected in his book, Discovering Christ the Servant.
The Focus
Goal of the Retreat for Deacons
Grow in the Gift of Your Diaconate
Retreats for Deacon and Deacon Candidates
The goal of the retreat is to grow in greater intimacy with Christ the Servant by rediscovering the gift of our vocation through a reflection on the Servant Mysteries as found in the diaconal prayer of ordination. To achieve this goal, we will return to the day of our ordination not in the sense of our memory, but in the sacramental sense of making present and participating in that which is timeless and eternal. This will be accomplished through three fundamental elements that center on a lectio divina of the prayer of diaconal ordination. These elements are:
(1) Our relationship to Christ the Servant
(2) Our identity in Christ the Servant
(3) Our mission with Christ the Servant
Depending in diocesan requirements, wives of deacons may be included and special effort is made to show how these very same servant principles apply to their vocation. Seperate presentations are not provided to wives but instead they are integrated into the presentations with emphasis on their baptismal diaconate as it relates to being wives and mothers.
Wives
day of our ordination not in the sense of our memory, but in the sacramental sense of making present and participating in that which is timeless and eternal. This will be accomplished through three fundamental elements that center on a lectio divina of the prayer of diaconal ordination. These elements are:
The retreat consists of four interrelated presentations lasting one-hour and fifteen minutes each followed by reflection time. Based on the above elements, these consist of:
(1) Introduction and Overview
(2) Our relationship to Christ the Servant
(3) Our identity in Christ the Servant
(4) Our mission with Christ the Servant
A bonus presentation may also be included
seperate from the main presentations entitled "Diabolical Activity and the Church.
Retreat Approach
The Servant Mysteries
This approach, pioneered by Father Richard Gabuzda and Deacon James Keating of the Institute of Priestly Formation, is adapted to the diaconate as a means to renew the order. This is accomplished through a deeper spirituality rooted in an ongoing reflection on the Servant Mysteries as expressed in the diaconal prayer of ordination. The Servant Mysteries can be defined as Christ’s servanthood as revealed in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and as taught by the Magisterium. For our purposes, servanthood (diakonia) is understood as a gift-of-self that wills the good of another for the sake of the other as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
deeper spirituality rooted in an ongoing reflection on the Servant Mysteries as expressed in the diaconal prayer of ordination. The Servant Mysteries can be defined as Christ’s servanthood as revealed in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and as taught by the Magisterium. For our purposes, servanthood (diakonia) is understood as a gift-of-self that wills the good of another for the sake of the other as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
Deepen Your Relationship with Christ the Servant
By carefully reading, meditating and praying these mysteries, interspersed with adoration and discussion, the deacon deepens his relationship to Christ the Servant, strengthens his identity in Christ the Servant, and better lives out his mission with Christ the Servant.
.
bottom of page