There is a venerable tradition—stretching from Sts. Augustine and John Chrysostom to Pope St.John Paul II—defining the Christian family as the “domestic church.” This means that, by God’s wise design, every Christian family is called to mirror certain aspects of the universal Church: especially its purpose, structure, and sacramentality. Yet Satan knows that the family is the decisive battleground, and so he is bent on destroying or deforming it: this is evident in the widespread misunderstanding of marriage and the family, the normalization of divorce and contraception, so many broken families, the daily struggle to maintain peace and order, and the real challenge of nourishing sanctity in the home. If we are to stem this tide and restore family life to a way of holiness, we must revive the theological truth about the family first articulated by the Church Fathers: understanding what it means and how to live it. This retreat is designed to dojust that: to help you build up your family into a domestic church, so you can become a family ofsaints!
8:40 a.m.
Terce (Mid-Morning Prayer)
Abbey Church
12:20 - 1:00 p.m.
Tour of Abbey Church (optional)
You are welcome to stay for None (Mid-afternoon Prayer) at 4:20 p.m., Rosary at 4:30 p.m. and Vespers (Evening Prayer) at 5:00 p.m. in the abbey church.
Retreat Cost: $50 per person