Thyspace Retreat a Real Success

08 July 2008

Last weekend (4 to 6 July) a group of young Catholics aged from 20 to 35 gathered at the beautiful Marist centre in Nympsfield for a weekend retreat.

The retreat was intended to provide a chance to give space and time for God to an age group that lead busy lives. It was also an opportunity to come together with those who are at a similar stage in their life and their faith journey.

Father Stephen Wang led the retreat, giving input on a range of subjects and guiding us in our prayer and spiritual reflection.

A range of talks included discussions on the Mass, particularly the presence of God in the Eucharist; Confession; conversion, which was on two levels: from a bad life to a good life and from a good life to a more spiritual life; and work, which included the importance to Christians of doing any job properly, as well as ideas about career and vocation. There was also time for discussion and the opportunity to clarify theological ideas, such as the key role of Mary in the life of the Church.

Father Stephen spoke about the film 'The Mission' starring Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons during one of the sessions.  You can listen to his talk a podcast in the multimedia panel on the right.  I also spoke with some people who took part in the retreat.  I asked them why they took part and how they thought the weekend went.  Again, you can listen to our podcast on the right.

Ample time for quiet prayer, reflection and contemplation accompanied this and gave those on the retreat an opportunity to reflect on their own lives and the place of God in their lives, culminating in the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday evening.

The Masses provided focal points for the retreat and allowed everyone to prepare together for the celebration of Mass. An important part of this preparation for many was the chance to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Having the time and space, not only for God and personal reflection, but for talking to young Catholics in a similar situation was very much appreciated and during breaks, meal times and free time there was a great deal of sharing and supporting, as well as laughter and fun. A quiz night provided a great opportunity to enjoy each other’s company as well.

All those who attended were extremely grateful to Father Stephen for guiding us so wonderfully and to Father Tom Smith and those who dreamt up and organised the retreat. We would also like to thank the Marist sisters for looking after us so well and the diocese for their support and encouragement.

Tom Osman took part in the retreat and managed to find the opportunity to talk with Trevor Fry on BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Somerset’s ‘Sunday Starts’.  He told Trevor and the listeners what the retreat was all about.  You can still catch the conversation on the BBC Bristol listen again facility.  

The burning question at the end of the weekend was: “What shall we do next and when?!”  So watch this space for information about further events for this age group or contact me to receive emails about our plans.

Nicola Harris