Coming Home

Last weekend I went on my first Catholic retreat at St. Lazare's.  I was at a low place with many things, and I needed help.  Father Vincent and Father Frank gave me that help through silence, through teaching, through the Eucharist.  The part I loved best was Confession. There's no rush on retreat, and there's help in working out your salvation, almost like an IEP (individualized education plan).  The long-forgotten pleasure of having a room to myself, especially with the lovely lake view, was remembered, as I relied on the consolation of privacy should I become overwhelmed.  My fellow retreants were so faithful to the silence, but we were still present to each other.  The food was good, but not rich like a fancy hotel.  Simple comforting meals, including two versions of roast beef, made a nice break, but didn't steal the show.  The grounds were lovely and well maintained.  

I felt as if I had come home.  I felt burdens eased and skills learned.  I felt God.  

They are shutting St. Lazare's at the end of July.  

I feel like a stolen child coming home just in time for her family to move.  I feel like people who visit Disney World on the last day it is open will feel.  I feel like a precious pearl is being ground to dust.

It takes time to make something as wonderful as St. Lazare's, and we are letting it slip away.  The waste makes me so sad. 

Pray for St. Lazare's, Father Vincent and Father Frank