ALLELUIA! Christ is risen!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Last week, I returned from a week-long Credo conference at the Trinity Retreat Center in Pine Knolls, North Carolina. What a wonderful place!!! If it were closer, we’d be going on parish retreats every year! It is on Emerald Isle off the coast and is bounded on one side by Bogue Sound and on the other by the Atlantic Ocean. Since the retreat center is located in a Maritime Pine Forest, which goes down to the edge of the dunes and the beach, it is cool and fragrant even when the sun gets intense. The animal life is amazing: lovely birds of all kinds: herons, hawks, sand pipers and pelicans; fat brown bunnies who have no fear at all of retreatants; pudgy squirrels who demand treats; baby turtles hatching in the beach sand; and dolphins at play! There are individual rooms with baths and also dorm facilities for students and large groups. Add to that, OUTSTANDING food! If you’d like to see more about the retreat center, visit https://www.trinityctr.org/. You can also go on a retreat there yourself.
26 clergy from all over the country gathered to think about their core values and to construct a Rule of Life, as we continue with our life of serving God and God’s people. Wonderful faculty, also from all over the country, offered presentations and personal consultations on Spirituality, Psychological and Physical Wellness, Financial Well-being, and Vocational Discernment. Supported by worship morning and evening, walks through the woods or by the water, and some fun activities (Cinco de Mayo Food Truck on the beach!), our long days were packed with learning, exploration, time for prayer, and quiet conversation with colleagues. It’s a great gift that the Church offers to clergy every 10 years or so, and I am very grateful.
ALLELUIA! THE LORD IS RISEN! THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!
Mo. Laura+