“Refreshed by the Living Water” was the theme of last week’s Midwest Lenten Clergy Retreat—the first of several regional gatherings of Diocesan clergy scheduled for the season of Lent. Clergy from the Midwestern Region (and a few outlying locales) met at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Cleveland, OH, for the two-day retreat led by Diocesan Primate Bishop Daniel.
Guest speaker Bishop Gregory Mansour spoke about the consolations and desolations that occur in pastoral ministry, and the attending clergy shared their own experiences of uplift and discouragement.
A special presentation by Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan, the Diocese’s Director of Ministries, led the clergy through the practice of Christian meditation, and the spiritual habits that draw the faithful into deeper communication with God.
Cleveland’s St. Gregory of Narek Church and its pastor Fr. Hratch Sargsyan hosted the clergy for worship and a Lenten dinner, graciously prepared by local parishioners. Similar retreats will be taking place in the various regions of the Diocese through the end of Lent.
Click here to view photos of the Midwest retreat.