“Can. 1039 All candidates for any order are to make a spiritual retreat for at least five days in a place and manner determined by the ordinary. Before the bishop proceeds to ordination, he must be certain that the candidates properly made this retreat.”
5 days? Out of our incredibly packed, work-filled lives? Was it really necessary?
YES!! Our recent Canonical Retreat for the 8 men and their wives at Christ the King Retreat House, 
Syracuse, N.Y. confirmed for us the wisdom of the Catholic Church in prescribing, by Canon Law, that all candidates for ordination set time aside. I had ruminated several months ago in a post (In vain is your earlier rising) that “We work too hard… play too hard… yet rarely PRAY hard enough!”. Quiet time, set aside makes room for small miracles.
And so it was for five days with Fr. Michael Carmola, and our group of 15. Time to pray… to laugh… to learn… to enjoy good food and great company. The program was open, the time spirit-filled and the environment designed to compliment time set aside. While the snow fell quietly on the retreat house hill, we reflected on our four years together and the changes about to occur as each of us takes his place in a ministry that is still being defined!
Filed under: Ministry, Reflections, Religion | Tagged: canon 1039, canonical, christ the king, diaconate, prayer, retreat, time
