Light of the World

LIGHT OF THE WORLD - RETREAT/SMALL GROUPS

Our fall 2020 retreat has been postponed due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19. We'll be sure to post any updates regarding a new schedule in our Sunday bulletin.

Testimony from a past retreat:

I was in the first Light of the World retreat in November of 2013. I want to tell you about the experience and why you should consider being part of the next retreat.

26 hours of religion. That’s what the Light of the World retreat is. 26 hours of religion. But it’s more than that. It’s 26 hours of fellow parishioners sharing stories of how God has touched their lives. It’s talking, and listening, and praying, and eating, and sharing, and more eating and celebrating our lives in Christ.

Imagine this: A Friday night and 36 strangers gathered in a church hall, not quite certain why they were there. Looking around, seeing familiar faces but not knowing names. The next day, 36 acquaintances gather to continue their spiritual journey. On Sunday, 36 friends meet to praise and worship and by Monday night 36 brothers and sisters in communion with Christ finish the retreat, ready to go out to their everyday world but with a renewed and strengthened faith. From stranger to acquaintance to friend -- that is the transformation possible during the retreat.

The message of the Light of the World Retreat is simple.

God loves you.
Jesus redeemed you.
The Holy Spirit guides you.

It’s that simple.

I hope you will consider participating in the upcoming retreat, you will not regret it.

Barb Sagraves, The Lost Sheep

Recommended Resources

Books:

This is Our Faith: A Catholic Catechism for Adults, Michael Pennock. The Catechism in layman's terms.

God's Library, Joe Paprocki. Brief guide that demystifies the arrangement of the Bible and how it is written.

Life of the Beloved, Henri J. M. Nouwen. This is a well written, thoughtful book and a somewhat "easy read".

Rediscovering Jesus, Matthew Kelly. Very energizing.
The Second Greatest Story Ever Told: Now is the Time of Mercy, Michael E. Gaitley, MIC. St. John Paul II and the story of Divine Mercy, a compelling read.
The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, Scott Hahn. Hahn demystifies the Book of Revelation by suggesting it describes the unending Mass that occurs in Heaven and our opportunity to participate in it on Earth.
The Seven Secrets of the Eucharist, Vinny Flynn. Insights that will bring deeper meaning and understanding of the nature of the Eucharist.
The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross, Scott Hahn
"Rosarium Virginis Mariae," Pope St. John Paul II's Apostolic Letter on the Rosary
The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity: How Modern Culture is Robbing Billions of People of Happiness, Matthew Kelly
Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody: Stories of Real People Who Discovered the Life-Changing Power of Grace, Allen R. Hunt

DVDs:

Catholicism. Visually beautiful and spiritually enriching series by Bishop Robert Barron.
The Great Adventure Bible Series by Jeff Cavins through Ascension Press.

Light of the World Small Faith Groups

Did you know that one outgrowth of the Light of the World Retreat is small faith groups that meet each week (virtually, for the time being) to share their faith and support one another? If you are interested in learning more about these small faith groups or the Light of the World retreat, please contact the parish office.

The Cookie Monsters

The “Cookie Monsters” meet on Monday nights from 6:30-8:00 at one of our member’s home. Our group has been together since the first LOTW retreat. We are made up of men and women of faith from Sacred Heart Church. Over the years we have studied many varied books to help us grow as Christians and Evangelizers. We have studied books on Catholicism, the Bible, the Mass, and many others. We plan videos for once a month. Formed has been a huge part of our video viewing with amazing stories of saints and the life of Jesus. We have also viewed the Catholicism series that really helped us to better understand our faith.
Our meetings are structured with prayer, studying with discussion and sometimes research via our phones, more prayer, socializing and eating cookies. We thoroughly enjoy each other and the opportunity to grow in our knowledge and understanding of our faith. Our door is always open to new members who have completed the LOTW Retreat.
This coming October there will be another opportunity for you to enjoy a 4-day retreat to light up your life for Jesus with the added bonus of continuing this journey with others who are here to welcome you and share this walk with you.

Fools for Christ

Fools for Christ has been meeting in Canaan weekly for over four years. We’ve read and discussed books by Bishop Barron, Scott Hahn, Matthew Kelly, and Brant Pitre. Our meetings focus on prayer, Scripture application, and spiritual edification. We talk about how God works in our lives, how we seek the Lord’s will, and how we act in social solidarity with the Church. An occasional movie night ( Case for Christ, Unplanned, Paul-Apostle of Christ, The Nativity ) is a pleasant change. By discussing how we share our faith with loved ones, co-workers, and strangers, we’ve discovered creative ideas for evangelization. The free Community Dinners held monthly at St. Mary’s or St. Helena’s are headed by two of our members; one of our members chaired the ecumenical Thanksgiving food drive this past year; we’ve incorporated a letter/card-writing component as a way to reach out to our parishes’ religious education participants, the sick, the mourning, members of the military, college students, priests and seminarians, and those we think could use a friendly ‘hello.’

The Lost Sheep

The Lost Sheep have been meeting in Lebanon since the first retreat in 2013. We gather on Tuesday nights from 6:30-7:30 (via zoom for the time being) and have a strong bond of love for one another through our love of Jesus Christ. The Lost Sheep consists of people from varied backgrounds and experiences who share their faith, pray together, and encourage spiritual growth. We have watched the "Catholicism" video series, read books by various Catholic authors, and studied the Bible and the Catholic catechism. A few years ago we "adopted" Seminarian Josh Livingston and have supported him with monthly letters of encouragement and prayer.
The Light of the World Retreat had a profound impact on everyone who pariticipated and we sometimes remark how astounded we are to still be meeting and sharing our love of Christ after all these years. Our lives were changed and we invite you to take the retreat and experience a profound transformation.