17 June 2021 · 2021-06 newsletter
In the universal Church’s Year of St Joseph, Schoenstatt Men, Sydney, are offering a series of days on ‘Joseph, the new person in the new community’, so named after the central idea of Schoenstatt’s spiritual way.
Last Saturday, 29 May, was the first event, a reflection day on the theme ‘Joseph, Man of Decision’ examining the challenges St Joseph faced in his life, the difficult decisions he made, and how he discerned God’s will in making those decisions.
The day was attended by almost all the members of Schoenstatt Men, Sydney, with many others from all over Sydney, a total of 23 men of all ages and backgrounds.
Fr. Pawel OP, a Dominican priest who is part of our Schoenstatt Family, led us in our reflection as well as in prayer. Father is a great communicator and emphasised that discerning God’s will is not just something for one or two major decisions in life, but also in the everyday.
We encountered the Lord and his Mother in the Schoenstatt Shrine, as well as more intimately with Mass celebrated in the forest at the Wayside Shrine. The men found our venue to be a beautiful place to have a retreat. The day’s schedule and surrounds allowed enough time for quiet reflection and renewal amid presentations and group discussion.
The men appreciated the welcome they received as well as meeting and sharing with other men of faith. The joy of a face-to-face gathering was refreshing and promoted a strong feeling of fellowship.
The next in this series on St Joseph will be on Saturday 14 August and will reflect on St Joseph as an original and independent personality, an image of the ideal modern man. We will finish with a 20,21 November weekend retreat on St Joseph as husband and father, forming with Mary and Jesus the first domestic Church.
Each event has an optional follow-up Zoom meeting a week later: after having had time to slowly digest the reflection day, an opportunity to share on how the reflection day went for each person, “how it has changed me”. Email: mensbranch@schoenstatt.org.au to join the mailing list.
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