[StAthanasiustheGreat]

This is part of our Newman Center, so our priest here will be the presider and retreat leader. I cannot get a read on him, and I have been here for three years. He does have a difficult job, between the more Orthodox students, moderate adults, and uber-liberal older associates. Not an easy job.

[lightman]

Any spiritual retreat should be structured around the daily prayer offices so that at least one complete set (Matins, Vespers, and Compline, at a minimum) can be prayed together. The times in between should include opportunities for the sacrament of reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist.

Try to draw your theme from the daily lectionary, so that your time together will be consciously part of the global Church.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Has the priest voiced any ideas?

[Salvation]

There are some good suggestions here. I would suggest looking at the springtime with the increase in light....leading to the Gospel of John.

Please check out this thread for some tidbits:
The Blessed Season of Easter - Fifty Days of Reflections Music that goes along with the theme of light or with the idea of Christ continuing discourse with us would also be appropriate.

Have some reflection times with some questions to answer. Maybe then you can come back to your small groups during the day to share your thoughts and feelings. If you keep the questions on how the word of the Lord touches a person personally then it will make no difference in the ultra conservative or overly liberal viewpoints.

Some of the guidelines for a retreat need to be
1-Listen with your heart, not just your mind
2-Confidentiality is a must -- what is said here stays here.
3-Comments are not needed, but if you must comment a simple "Thank You" will suffice.
4-Stay "in the room" -- on subject.
5-Do not give advice.
6-Trust the process
7-Keep to the time table and the task at hand. (If the task is praying, then pray; if the task is writing, then write. (In other words, a participant in a retreat, gets out of it what they put into it.)
8-Participate fully whether it is listening, writing, or sharing in a group.

Set limits for talking and wandering also.

Possible songs:
"Prayer of St. Francis"
"Holy Ground"
"Be Not Afraid"
"Here I Am, God"
"Lead Me, Lord"
Responsorial Psalm on "The Lord is my light and my salvation>"

Some secular songs--
"Something Beautiful"

One Voice

I've got other suggestions

[Salvation]

Another suggestion wouldbe to build it on the readings for that day.

You can look ahead on most of the sites that I post from and that Nyer posts from and find the commentaries for the given day.

You can FReepmail either one of us for the sources for what we post on the daily readings thread.

[Salvation]

It seems that you were going to have your retreat around this time of May. Have you had it yet? How did it go?