Lent Retreat: “Refresh your Prayer Life in the Eucharist.”

 March 6-10, 2017 at 7pm

Our retreat will center on the refreshment and inspiration which God has promised us — who are called and equipped to serve. We will focus on the simple invitation of Christ: °Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest…° (Mat 11:28-30), seeking out some of the answer in Isaiah 40-61.

The “Servant Songs” of Isaiah express some of the most inspirational, affirmative, and motivational revelation in Scripture. Discovering our personal and particular calling to a life of love and ministry, our gifts, and the anointing to use them, is sometimes elusive but the search is always worthwhile. Just as with the prophets, who found confirmation and comfort in community, so too finding our niche calls for encountering divine inspiration among our brothers and sisters.

We will reflect on Matt 11 and the Songs gently and profoundly, to search out what reflects and guides our way of life. This includes our reading of the Word, prayerfully meditating on it and putting it into practice. What simple but powerful ways can we be living the inspired life, in a daily, weekly, and monthly rhythm? How do we know our gifts and call, when often our feelings and self-image get in the way? How can we really flourish in our ministry together, deacon and wife, family, people of God, priest, bishop?

Bio for Fr. John Boettcher

Fr. John has worked for the last 2 years to establish the Office of Spirituality for our diocese. He is currently concentrating on the Newman community at Sonoma State U with the mission of evangelization, discipleship and formation of Catholic community and culture. Before this, he was serving for the 3 years preparing men for ordination, through teaching and spiritual direction at the Pontifical College Josphinum. Having also served in Rome, Jerusalem, Canterbury, and Connecticut, he has taught a wide range of subjects, including Romans, Synoptics, the Prologue of John, Trinity, and Patristics. Recently Fr. John has focused on pastoral courses developing practical skillsets for ministry – for example, one on the preparation of content for homilies, and another on how to promote evangelization in the parish.

Over the years, Fr. John has done different kinds of retreat work and spiritual direction. For five years, he served full time in youth retreats for schools and confirmation preparation.  He has directed many retreats for woman religious.  He spent a lot of time in the Holy Land, and has guided various groups of pilgrims.

Fr. John heard the call to priesthood when working in semiconductor research, after having graduated in Physics at U.C. Berkeley.