A daylong retreat called Retiro para Hombres (Retreat for Men) is scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point.  

The gathering, to be conducted in Spanish, will include talks by Father Pat Angelucci, SDB, vice director and coordinator at the Marian Shrine, and Father Manny Gallo, SDB, director of the Shrine. Both are members of the Salesians of Don Bosco.  

The event will take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., inside the Shrine’s Don Bosco Retreat Center. 

Music for the soul   

There will also be opportunities for fellowship and confession, and faith-filled music will be provided by singer-guitarist Fernando Torres. Torres, who is Bronx-based, is said to be “a passionate worship leader” and co-founder of Agnus Dei, a Catholic ministry “dedicated to leading young hearts to God.” He is a first-generation American from the Bronx with Dominican roots. “It’s an opportunity for them to get together (and discuss) male spirituality, how they can get closer to God in the spirit of brotherhood,” Father Gallo told The Good Newsroom. “It’s a good way to build community and brotherhood…There will be talks, confession, adoration, and music.”    

The priest added that the retreat “will be focused on redemption…And I hope that they bring that closer relationship with God to their families, for them to work on their relationship with their own families; for them to bring their families to God. We’ll be looking at men in Scripture, how they failed and how they were able to redeem themselves through Christ and the grace, on how they were able to change their lives.” 

Staying connected  

He said he hopes that after the gathering, the participants “stay connected, because you need that support sometimes.”  

Father Gallo is of Nicaraguan descent. Father Angelucci’s heritage is Italian, but he speaks fluent Spanish, having served the Church in Spain and Ecuador. The Shrine’s men’s retreats in recent years, both Spanish and English, have typically drawn 50 to 60 participants. 

The official name of the site is the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians. The registration fee for Retiro para Hombres is $50, which includes lunch. To register, call the Shrine: (845) 947-2200 Ext 302, or email retreats@marianshrine.org. The Marian Shrine is located at 174 Filors Lane, Stony Point.