Archdiocesan Lenten Retreats Invite the Faithful to Renew and Reflect
By: Armando Machado
From Westchester to the Bronx, parishes are opening their doors for days of prayer and penance
Lent is a season of prayer, fasting, and renewal, and three parishes across the Archdiocese of New York are offering retreats to help the faithful make the most of it. Whether for young adults seeking formation and leadership, pilgrims drawn to a peaceful Hudson Valley shrine, or parishioners looking for a bilingual day of reflection, there is a retreat for everyone this spring.
St. Anthony of Padua
The Church of St. Anthony of Padua in West Harrison (Westchester County) will host a Young Adult Leadership Retreat on Saturday, February 28, in an effort, guided by the Holy Spirit, to help participants “be refreshed, equipped, and sent.”
“Do you feel called to be a Catholic leader in your parish? Are you already a leader in the Church and desire a day of rest and retreat and formation? The Holy Spirit is raising up a new generation of leaders,” promotional materials for the event say. The retreat is designed for the faithful ages 18 to 25.
The retreat is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Registration including lunch is free. St. Anthony of Padua is located at 85 Harrison St., West Harrison. The parish is sponsoring the retreat in conjunction with Amazing Nation Missionaries, based in Liverpool (Onondaga County). ANM is part of Hard as Nails Ministries, a community of Catholic lay evangelizers and young adult missionaries. More information is available at their website.
Marian Shrine
On Saturday, March 7, the Marian Shrine in Stony Point (Rockland County) will host its annual Lenten Day Retreat inside Lee Hall. The event, set to start at 9 a.m., will include praise and worship, confession, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It will conclude with a 4 p.m. Vigil Mass. The official name of the shrine is the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, although it is commonly known as the Marian Shrine.
The Marian Shrine is located in a peaceful wooded setting above the west bank of the Hudson River on a property formerly known as the 212-acre Greyridge Farm. The Salesians of Don Bosco purchased the property in 1945. The land is in the Town of Haverstraw and the Town of Stony Point, with its entrance at 174 Filors Lane in Stony Point.
The Salesians continued to run the farm and in 1947 they added a high school, Don Bosco Juniorate, for prospective Salesian priests and brothers. A gymnasium building was added in 1950, today known as the St. Dominic Savio Youth Center. The first retreats began in 1954. More information is available at their website.
Holy Cross Church
On Saturday, March 21, Holy Cross Church, in the Soundview area of the Bronx, will host a bilingual Lenten parish retreat called “Heart of Jesus, Source of Peace.”
“We are having a very special Lenten retreat for the whole parish. We will have an English track and a Spanish track,” Father John Higgins, parish pastor, told The Good Newsroom via email.
The guest speakers will be Father Richard Veras, Deacon Rafael Aledo, and lay presenter Heriberto Diaz. Music will be provided by singer-guitarist Fernando Torres.
The retreat is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Holy Cross is located at 600 Soundview Ave., the Bronx. More information is available at their website.