Women's Apostolate to Youth
DIGNITY AND INTEGRITY:
How the Catholic Defense of the Human Person
is Reflected in the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood
director:
Rev. Francis de Rosa (bio below)
DETAILS:
Talks, Confession, Adoration, Rosary, Lunch, Benediction, and Holy Mass
when:
Saturday, November 9, 2024
9:15 AM - 1:15 PM
where:
St. Raymond of Peñafort​ Catholic Church
8750 Pohick Rd, Springfield, VA 22153
(beginning in the Parish Hall )
cost:
$FREE - donations gratefully accepted
Includes lunch and materials.
[Fee normally $50 - covered this year
by St Raymond's]
Questions?
contact Robin Maas - rmvlmaas@gmail.com
About the Retreat
The Women’s Apostolate to Youth has been offering retreats for men for over 25 years. This apostolate began in 1998 when WAY Members decided that the spiritual formation provided by our Chaplain at the time, Rev. Paul Scalia, was so good we wanted to find a way to share it with our husbands. Before long we realized that we needed to expand this apostolate and reach many more men who would benefit from this kind of spiritual support.
We recognized then and are even more firmly convinced now that anything we do to strengthen the faith of all men, but especially husbands and fathers, will directly benefit children and youth. Recent research has indeed confirmed that when the father of a family practices his faith, the children are far more likely to remain in the faith themselves—even when they may have a very devout mother. So there really is a kind of spiritual leadership that only fathers of families are meant to exercise, and now, when the family is under demonic assault, it is more vital than ever that they do so. As the assault has intensified, it seems especially appropriate to offer these retreats in recognition of the Kingship of Christ and to pray for His ultimate victory over the forces of darkness that are attempting to destroy the integrity of marriage and the family.
This annual retreat is open to all Catholic men, married and single (including college students). It always occurs on a Saturday morning, ending in the early afternoon and includes inspiring Talks, Confession, Adoration, Rosary, Lunch, Benediction, and Holy Mass.
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Retreat Director: Father Francis M. de Rosa is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. A graduate of Niagara University, the Ateneo della Santa Croce in Rome and Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Maryland, he also holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. He has published articles on bioethics in the Linacre Quarterly and the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly. He was ordained in 1997 and is the pastor of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Colonial Beach, Virginia and St. Anthony of Padua Mission in King George, Virginia.
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