On the 2nd and 3rd of May a retreat for prayer, reflection and fellowship was held at the Salvatorian community house in Currambine.
To me, the intention of this event was to demonstrate the daily prayer structure of our Priests, as well as step away from our own lives for a while to build our faith in prayer and reflection.
This is perhaps the best and most important part of our time together, as when we pray together, there is a strong sense of unity, as well as faith, compared to when we are praying alone, for example.
Not only this, but seeing the many ways in which we can offer our prayer to God is very important at our age, as we are confronted with very different people and lifestyles, which can and often does shake our faith. As a someone who is very new to the Catholic faith, these times of reflection and prayer have helped me to strengthen my faith in God, and personal prayer to Him, both of which are necessary and important parts of our beliefs.
Our time at the community house also gave us time to build friendships, whether over a cup of coffee or the many heated rounds of table tennis we played in between our periods of prayer and reflection. While it may seem insignificant, this time is important in understanding each other, learning our differences (as well as understanding them) and founding friendships – all of which are necessary for our clergy to coexist peacefully and happily in their life of service to God.
To others who would consider attending this sort of retreat: I would personally recommend it. I found this event an excellent opportunity to connect with God intimately, and contemplate the life of our clergy. It was also great to meet other young men my age who share a love of the faith, and are considering a life of service to God in the clergy.