TestimonialsThe CRHP Retreat awakened my spirit, refreshed my soul and put peace in my heart. In the midst of my chaotic schedule, I was able to stop, tune out the world and feel the love of God in my heart. It was wonderful to see how the Lord is working in the lives of others, take time out to pray, and to feel the support of my fellow parishioners. I am now taking more advantage of my membership in the Body of Christ in all aspects of my life: at work, as a member of the church, with my children, and with my husband. Christ is truly renewing his parish through this experience. It has forever changed my life.
Father Dan had asked me quite a while ago if I would pray about attending the Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) retreat. At the time, I had every excuse in my mind why I could not attend. I was a busy mom so how could I possibly attend when my kids needed me and we had so much to do! Then this past fall I had joined a Journeys of Faith small group and discovered that I was the only one in my small group that had not attended CRHP retreat and they strongly encouraged me to attend. I finally got enough courage to come out of my shell and to sign up for the retreat this past April. But despite signing up, I still tried to come up with excuses on why I couldn’t attend. In the end, God won and I attended the retreat. And it was one of the BEST weekends of my life. Once I participated in the retreat, I thought to myself “how could I have not done this sooner?” and I realized that there was nothing in my life that could have possibly been more important than experiencing that retreat weekend. God is good! He knew what was best for me! I only wish I would have participated sooner. My father had attended the CRHP retreat a year prior to when I went. I asked him over and over to prepare me and help me understand what we would do that weekend. I am the type A, planning type person that needs to know what will be going on. But he was always very vague stating, “you will just have to go to experience it”. So reluctantly I went and I am so thankful that I did. And now I get it! You do indeed have to just go and experience it to get it. It was one of the most awesome experiences of my life. I was at a time in my life where I was desperately searching for something more in my life, something more so I could be a better person and a better mom to my young children. I was also looking for peace in my chaotic life. I definitely strengthened my relationship with God that weekend. It has sparked a flame inside me to want to learn more and grow in my faith so that I may be a leader for others and to my children. Now I am praying that others will feel the same desire to come and experience the weekend as I did. You will leave a changed person if you come with an open heart. I can guarantee it.
Reflection As I sit back and think about my time spent on the CRHP Retreat, I realized that I did myself a disservice. I never allowed myself to fully experience what I should have. The problem was I was focused more on being a support system for my cousins instead of focusing on me. That was a mistake. It's all about you that weekend. The time to put others side, and for a moment and focus on you; but I just couldn't do that. I am so good at helping others that I forgot about the help I needed renewing my relationship with Christ. It was only at the end of the weekend, that I realized I had it all wrong. Some said that it would happen for me when it was my time. And guess what? They were right. These unbelievable women never turned their backs on me no matter how hard I resisted. They prayed and supported me throughout the weekend displaying true faith in the Lord that when it was time he would reveal himself to me....and he did. I cannot truly explain the revelation I had, but it was powerful. For those that are not sure if this retreat is for them or for those that think, "my relationship with Jesus is fine", you are doing a disservice to yourself. This is for you! No matter what your age, the strength of your faith or anything else; it is your time, take the leap!
Like most men I was hesitant about going to the Christ Renews His Parish Retreat. It's hard for a guy to be taken out of his busy life style, but mostly out of his comfort zone. I am not one for small group discussions, but I found out it really wasn't like that at all. There was no "holier than thou" attitude, just a great group of men sharing their faith and learning their faith - which no man should be afraid to do. Defend your faith Brothers!
experienced many blessings from the Christ Renews His Parish Retreat. I learned how much God loves me just for who I am, I gained a new understanding and wonder for the Mass - so now every Mass has a whole new meaning for me (and my retreat was 2 1/2 years ago), I experienced Christ's presence in the lives of the women presenting the retreat and those attending the retreat, and the Holy Spirit became very real to me. This retreat is so powerful I left knowing I would do whatever I could, to see this continue. Thru the prompting of the Holy Spirit I went on to be part of the Formation Team that prays, studies, and shares faith with the others preparing for the next retreat. This experience drew me even closer to the Lord. As I grew to know the other women on the team I grew to know the Lord better. Through all this I can say I love the Lord more and more each day and I just want to be a better person because of it. I feel unworthy for such a gift as this, but I am so grateful!
Christ Renew His Parish was a great weekend for me personally. I am thankful for Christ Renews His Parish weekend and for all the great rewards that I received on this weekend. This is a weekend you will not regret giving to the lord. I didn't and I am thankful for that. Please take the time to pray about this weekend before saying yes or no. Thank you and God Bless!
My Christ Renews his Parish weekend was like a breath of fresh air for my spiritual walk with the Lord. I had been looking for "something" to help me and the weekend was the answer. Is the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart to spend some special time with Jesus?
My Christ Renews His Parish weekend was such a welcome break in the busyness of my life! The times of listening to scripture and being in quiet prayer refreshed my dry and thirsty soul, as did sharing time with other women believers from our 3 parishes.
I can honestly say, it gave me a sense of calmness for my spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. To actually have a weekend to give myself, a retreat for those needs, was not only a gift to myself but everyone who comes in contact with me. It was a transformation. People go on a retreat to relax by the beach, for their health, and body. Well this is a total retreat for every inch of your body, from head to toe and everything we do not see. What I have received, what I have been given by simply attending the Christ Renews His Parish retreat weekend is difficult to put into words. I not only found a piece of myself that has been missing for years but I found the love of Christ and the true presence of the Holy Spirit. The retreat for me, was a renewal, a transformation. The fire that has been ignited within me is so deep and powerful. Scripture comes alive now for me and a constantly yearn for the Eucharist. An absolute, life changing weekend.
During the Christ Renews His Parish weekend I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way I never had before. Since then, I have a strong desire to be closer to God and I feel more a part of the community of people in the three parishes. If you need a boost in your faith life, please join us for this life changing weekend.
How do you put down in writing a "feeling?" So many words can describe my experience...words like awesome, uplifting, empowering, eye opening, spiritual, peaceful, joyful. Yes, so many words can describe my experience, but yet, I cannot describe into words the "feeling". I invite you to attend with an open mind so you can personally experience this indescribable "feeling", this gift from God. You see the letters CRHP which stand for Christ Renews His Parish...what you do not see is CRSP... Christ Renews Some People. You belong to His parish and Christ is inviting you to come and be refreshed, rekindled and renewed. You will NOT be disappointed, God will see to that!
If you saw a $100 bill on a deserted stretch of sidewalk, would you reach to pick it up? Few would say "I don't have the time " or "it's too much trouble." Not many would say "I'm not going to this time, but I might do it later." No one would say "I'm not sure it's worth it." The graces, joy and miracles that come from a retreat are far more valuable than a $100 bill. Coming to experience Christ's love through the sacraments and the word of God truly is wealth beyond measure that grows well beyond a retreat weekend. The friendships that arise and the joy in knowing others walk the same paths and carry the same crosses bring hope and a true desire for deepened faith that will give a lifetime of graces. It all begins with a simple decision - do I care to reach for it.
CRHP is the greatest gift to me since Christ was born so long ago. I was raised in church and made a profession of faith at an early age. I was confirmed as a Catholic at Easter in 1983 and have grown in Christ ever since. But, CRHP was for me what adding Miracle Grow does for my garden. The miracle is that even though I wasn't expecting it, the Holy Spirit renewed in me a deep love for Jesus, for my church and for my brothers and sisters in Christ. My prayer life has grown and produced marvelous results; my dedication to scripture has bloomed and shown me things that I've read before, but never really "seen"; and, I have a deeper and more spiritual love of Eucharist. To quote Father Dan, "Thanks be to God" for CRHP and God's riches in Jesus!
Christ Renews His Parish
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