The A.C.T.S. RETREAT

Enriching Lives of the Faithful Since 1987

Robin Jennings

“The ACTS retreat reignited my love for my Catholic faith. It made me realize how important daily prayer, especially the rosary, is in building my relationship with Christ.”

ACTS RETREATS have been enriching the lives of men and women since 1987. Although it is a Catholic-based retreat, non-Catholics are welcomed to attend. The roots of ACTS can be traced back to the “Cursillo” retreat that began in Spain between WWI and WWII. Many in the church saw an increasing secularization of Catholics during this time. In response to this, a short course on the Catholic faith was created. In Spanish, Cursillo is translated as “short course” and its effect on people’s spirituality was profound. The Methodist movement “Walk to Emmaus” also had a strong impact on the format of the ACTS retreat. Walk to Emmaus strives to “make Christian communities possible in neighborhoods, churches, work situations, and all other places where people live the greater part of their lives.” In the 1980’s, three friends and Cursillo instructors from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Selma, TX, Ed Courtney, Joe Hayes, and Marty Sablik were urged by their pastor, Fr. Patrick Cronin, to explore ways to encourage parishioner involvement. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the three men met in a restaurant to build a new retreat. It seemed to make sense to focus on the Acts of the Apostles since they described what the apostles did. They felt that several aspects of Cursillo could be improved upon and applied to meet the needs of the parish. Utilizing the word ACTS, Ed created the themes that correlated to each letter: A-Adoration, C-Community, T-Theology, S-Service. The next step was to secure the approval from both their pastor and Archbishop Flores to conduct an ACTS retreat. In March 1987, a letter sent to the archbishop said, “The weekend would be parish-oriented with an aim to evangelize and bring the people of one parish closer to Christ. Our goals are to develop in each person a strong commitment to Christ, to Christian community within the parish, and to apostolic action within the family and parish.” In July 1987, OLPH sponsored the first men’s ACTS retreat. In April 1988, the first women’s retreat was held.

“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” Acts of the Apostles 2:42-44

I have always felt that my ACTS retreat was the springboard to a deeper level of faith. Not only did my love expand for Christ, but I made many new friends who were also seeking a heightened spiritual life. I have been blessed to serve on several retreat teams that continue to deepen my love for Christ, teach me about my Catholic faith, and cultivate my desire to serve. Retreat experiences will vary according to where we are in our faith journey. However, it has been my observation that most retreatants seem to find a common ground by achieving a greater faith and forming special friendships.

Interested in registering for an ACTS Retreat in Shreveport?

Each fall St. Joseph’s Catholic Church sponsors ACTS retreats for men and women. The retreats begin on Thursday evening and end on Sunday at the 12:30 Mass at St Joseph Church. The dates for this year’s retreats are:

Women’s Retreat: November 3-6 Men’s Retreat: November 10-13

Registration forms can be found on the St. Joseph Catholic Church website at: www.stjosephchurch.net/adult-faith-formation. All forms should be mailed to the PO Box listed on the form.

Sign up today to discover a deeper love for Christ and become a part of the ACTS family.