DC and Montgomery County Host Retreat

Thirty members, candidates, and friends of the Order from the Washington, DC and Montgomery County regions gathered for a three-day retreat this month at Gonzaga College High School in Washington.  The Rev. Peter Folan, S.J., assistant professor of theology at Georgetown University, offered reflections on the parables of Jesus that focused on five fundamental characteristics of the reign of God: truth, freedom, justice, reconciliation, and joy.  

Retreatants spent time in quiet, individual prayer and in shared reflection, Mass, rosary, and reconciliation. Father Folan's handouts for his reflections on the parables can be found attached here if you would like to use any of the parables for your own individual reflection.  Father Folan’s homily at the concluding Mass on Sunday focused on hope, another key value in the reign of God and one that Pope Francis calls us to focus on in this Jubilee Year. The retreat challenged us to deepen our spiritual lives and join together to further the reign of God. For those who want to explore the parables more deeply, Father suggested  a book by theologian Gerhard Lohfink, “The Forty Parables of Jesus.”