What is an ACTS retreat?
An ACTS retreat is a four-day, three-night, Catholic lay retreat presented by fellow parishioners at an off-site retreat center. Separate retreats are offered for men, women, and teens. People go on an ACTS retreat to deepen their relationships with Jesus Christ, experience spiritual renewal, bring new meaning and depth to their prayer lives, grow in understanding of the Sunday liturgy, and build lasting friendships. Retreats begin on Thursday evening and conclude on Sunday with mass celebrated with the community back at the parish. Each retreat is conducted by a team of 30-40 individuals who have attended a prior ACTS retreat. The team, living out their baptismal call, work together to organize, plan, and conduct the retreat while ministering to the needs of all the retreatants throughout the weekend.
What is the goal of an ACTS retreat?
ACTS retreats strive to achieve the directives of Vatican II where lay people are called to, not only know their faith, but live it out. More than 1,000 parishioners have attended retreats directed by St. Paul parishioners and the vast majority of them have walked away having experienced God's love and joy at the parish levels in ways that were both profound and unexpected. They return to their parish with a deeper love for each other and a desire to become more involved in their parish.
Why attend an ACTS retreat?
ACTS weekends are created to be powerful and enduring converstion experiences for those who attend them. Faith sharing talks, which draw from the personal experience of team members, focus on Adoration (the need for prayer and meditation on the Word of God); Community (the importance of playing an active role in a parish community devoted to growing together in faith and love); Theology (the need to read and understand scripture and our Catholid faith); and Service (the need to answer Christ's call to servanthood). Activities throughout the weekend are designed to give retreatants a better understanding of the significance and importance of prayer, liturgy, the sacraments, scripture, community and service. It is a powerful community building experience and goes a long way toward helping our parish be a warm and welcoming community to all.
2020 ACTS Retreat Dates
February 20-23: Women's (Spanish) at the Christian Renewal Center
June 18-21: Teens (English) at the Christian Renewal Center
July 16-19: Women's (English) at the Journey Retreat Center
Sept. 3-6: Men's (English) at the Journey Retreat Center
Oct. 1-4: Men's (Spanish) at the Christian Renewal Center
How do I get more information?
Contact Heidi Clark, the Director of Adult Ministry, at 281-333-3891, ext. 328 or email hclark@stpaulcatholic.org