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"Have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
- 1 Peter 3:8
All at SJTW are invited to encounter Jesus in meaningful and transformative ways. Through these encounters, we deepen not only our relationship with God but also with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Your Commitment to Parish Life (CPL) contributions are what make this possible.
Parishioners Chet and Elynn Welle started a retreat ministry in their previous parish. They now serve as coordinators for SJTW's Parish Retreat Ministry, creating a planning team each year and arranging logistics for each year’s event. The two are active in many ministries such as the Knights of Columbus and Lady KC’s, in the Funeral Ministry, and as volunteers for various groups outside SJTW.
At the end of each retreat, Chet and Elynn invite participants to help out with future ones – this is how the next Planning Team is created. “Having a completely new Planning Team each year makes each retreat a new experience. It also affords more people the opportunity to experience a retreat at a deeper level.”
With 24 retreats under their belt, Chet and Elynn say each one is their favorite! “To see people sharing their stories with one another, to hear their laughter and, sometimes, to see their tears, to know that they are forming deeper connections with one another and that they will go home feeling less alone in their faith – it’s a huge blessing for us.” they say. The retreat program is created by people sharing their faith stories and having the Holy Spirit guide them to a common theme for the year.
To them, retreats create a space for community and to hear one another. “We’re more the same than we are different from others. That understanding leads to feeling more connected and that connection helps us feel stronger in our faith.” they say. “As a result of feeling more connected as a community, we’re more ready to reach out, to help out, and to pull others into the circle of God’s love.”
The parish retreat is coming up on November 8th & 9th at the Franciscan Spirituality Center. To sign up, visit https://sjtw.net/sjtw-parish-retreat. ; To start or renew your CPL gift, visit https://sjtw.net/commitment-to-parish-life