In lieu of a parish Lenten retreat, especially with the timing of all our Forward with Faith events including our recent weekend with Dr. John Rosemond, I thought it would be good to plan a parish retreat for families with a dynamic and powerful speaker—a dad himself of four children along with his wife, Cait—Pete Burak. Pete Burak is the director of i.d.9:16, the young adult outreach of Renewal Ministries. He is a 2010 graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and has a Master’s Degree in Theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Pete is a frequent speaker on discipleship, evangelization, and young adult topics.

Working closely with young adults—and with his real life experience in his family—Pete works to engage young adults and their families along with teens and others into intentional discipleship.

Pentecost—coming fifty days after Easter and ten days after the Ascension of the Lord—is the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, also called the birthday of the Church, provides the perfect timing to have a family retreat where we can be educated and inspired to live our Catholic faith out in a more powerful and practical way—right in-and-through our families.

What more perfect gift to receive—and to give—on the birthday of the Church then to pass along in practical ways the lived-experience of the Faith in our families. What greater gift or legacy could a mom or dad give to their children then the knowledge that God loves them and created them for a specific purpose—and then illustrate to them how to live that faith out in everyday life. Watch and listen for more details in coming bulletins and Mass announcements on this important family event here at Saint Catherine of Siena.