Lenten retreat strengthens faith, inspires attendees
By Connie McKinney
Contributing writer
Jeanne Higgins had a rough week but felt better after attending the Feb. 21 Lenten Women’s Retreat at St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal.
“To come here, I get so much peace and joy that you just can’t explain,” she said. “I know for sure that God is in control, and He’s got it.”
Higgins, who attends St. Patrick’s and St. Thomas Aquinas Church, two linked churches located in Binghamton, was one of approximately 100 women who attended the annual retreat. The Vestal retreat was one of three put on by the Syracuse Women’s Catholic Commission. Other locations for the retreat were Utica and Liverpool.
In Vestal, participants prayed the Rosary, participated in an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and attended a Mass celebrated by Rev. James Serowik, the church’s pastor. Those attending could also go to confession, enjoy breakfast, and chat with and get to know other women who attended the retreat.
This year’s theme, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path,” was based on Psalm 119:105, said Beth Ruoff, co-chairwoman of the Vestal retreat.
“We like to have this opportunity for women of the diocese to come together as one family so that we can get nourished with God’s word,” said Ruoff, who attends Our Lady of Sorrows in Vestal. “We are getting nourished here. Then, we can take it out to our daily lives, whether it be school, work, or community, and be Jesus’s disciples. We can help others in the world to know God’s love.”
Dawn Dimock, a parishioner at St. Ambrose in Endicott, said the special retreat can help women strengthen their faith.
“Women feel the love of Christ in a different way when they’re around other women,” said Dimock, a former member of the Women’s Commission and a volunteer who helped set up for the event. “There’s a lot of nurturing and healing and community building that is part of how Jesus reaches each of us.”
Marilee Beyer helped run the slides during the event. She attends St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church and said she always looks forward to attending the annual Lenten retreat.
“It allows everybody to meet each other and network,” she said.
Her fellow parishioner and technology volunteer, Donna Russell, said events such as the retreat allow those attending to start Lent in a more meaningful way.
“Rather than giving up things for Lent, we should do things for Lent,” she said. “I believe in doing something a little extra. It’s more like: How can I build my prayer life?”
Fran Simkulet of St. Cyril & Methodius Church in Binghamton said she enjoyed the event.
“I believe it’s a good way to start Lent,” she said. “It’s really very inspirational.”
Higgins said she enjoys the day so much that this year she brought two candidates for the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). She and her husband, Stew Higgins, lead the OCIA ministry for St. Patrick’s and St. Thomas Aquinas.
“Women are really the backbone of families,” she said. Attending retreats such as this one helps women take time for themselves and feel renewed when they return home to their families.
Father Peter Amaya-Akpala, OP, associate pastor of the Catholic Communities of Eastern Broome, shared his wisdom with the women who attended the retreat. The churches he serves include Our Lady of Lourdes in Windsor, St. Joseph’s in Deposit, St. Joseph’s in Sanitaria Springs, and St. Mary’s in Kirkwood.
“Improve your relationship with God this season” of Lent by praying, fasting, and giving alms, he said. “Always put your gaze on Him — the Eucharistic Jesus. This is where we should draw our strength every day. Don’t forget who you are. You are the light of the world.”
