Fr. Gary Kastl To Lead Our Upcoming All-Parish Retreat on Feb. 20

When you have an electronic device that isn’t working, you might try unplugging it and plugging it back in. The computers that many of us use every day, from time to time need a restart to get everything working again, and we are not too different.

Katherine Norman, the coordinator of our Stewardship, Volunteer, and Evangelization programs at St. Peter, says we need to do the same for ourselves. An unplug or a restart can go a long way towards restoring not only our mental health but also our faith lives. With this in mind, she invites everyone, parishioners and nonparishioners, to the All-Parish Retreat on Saturday, Feb. 20, at our parish in Bishop Vasa Hall.

“Retreats are life-changing, so the question is, are you ready to make a change?” she says.

During this can’t-miss retreat, Fr. Gary Kastl will lead us through a day of talks, individual reflection time, and small group discussions. Currently serving as President of Bishop Kelley High School and Rector of Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, Okla., Fr. Kastl is a speaker and expert on stewardship.

“A life of holiness and virtue happens when we make the time for God to enter in,” he says. “St. Augustine had the great line — ‘God created us without us, but he will not save us without us.’ We have to participate in the relationship if we are to benefit from the graces, the forgiveness, and the peace that God desires to bring into our lives.”

This yearly one-day retreat is organized around our busy daily schedules.

“Busyness does not equal holiness,” Fr. Kastl says. “If we desire a healthy spiritual life, we have to make time for it. It has to be a non-negotiable in our lives.”

The day begins with Mass, followed by breakfast. There are four sessions each with a talk by Fr. Kastl, then quiet time to reflect, followed by small-group discussion. A delicious lunch is also included. The retreat ends at 3 p.m. with time for participants to receive Reconciliation from 3-4 p.m. Retreat goers may also choose to attend 4 p.m. Mass.

As we are focused on living out the “three Ts” of stewardship — time, talent, and treasure — Katherine says that attending the retreat is a great way of giving your time to grow closer to Christ.

“God always rewards those who choose to spend time deepening their relationship with Him,” she says. “Anyone who has attended a retreat in the past can witness to the many blessings they received during and after it.”

All are encouraged to save the date and plan to attend the retreat on Feb. 20. With such a retreat taking place right in our own backyard, it would be unfortunate to miss it! The All-Parish Retreat promises to truly be a way to reset and unplug.

“Don’t be afraid of what God will ask you to do as you grow in your discipleship,” Fr. Kastl says. “Retreats are intentional times to stop the busyness of life, and to be quiet and assess how we are growing in our relationship with God.”

If you would like more information about the upcoming All-Parish Retreat, or to register, please contact Katherine Norman at 402-450-9484 or Katherine-norman@cdolinc.net.

Last year's parish retreat