Faith: Trusting in the God Who Waits for You

For nearly one hundred years the retreats at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center have invited participants into a faithful, trusting relationship with the God who waits for us.

Too often we think of faith in terms of a whole set of beliefs, some of which we understand, many of which are simply beyond us.

But in this year's retreat, Trusting in the God who Waits for You, the focus is less on specific beliefs and more on faith as openness to the heart of God who waits long and always lovingly --- to touch our own hearts in deep and abiding relationship. God does not shout. God is present to us in what we see as graced moments, often in hindsight.

As a Passionist Retreat, the Passion of Jesus Christ occupies a central role. Here we see, and experience, the trusting relationship of Jesus to his Father through the gift of the Spirit, even and especially in the midst of humiliation, suffering, and death. The relationship is unbroken, as Jesus is brought through death to new life in the glory of God the Father.

In the Spirit of Saint Paul of the Cross, Founder of the Passionists, his companions and followers have faithfully implemented this vision and have invited retreatants to share in it. The fruit of centuries of prayer and contemplation finds expression in the theme of this year's retreat, calling us to deeper trust in the God who is present and active even now in our hearts, our communities, the church and the world.