Gifts of the Spirit Retreat- March 29, 2025 See Note Below.

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  Hello, Magnificat-Omaha Gifts of the Spirit Retreat Registrants. 

We hope you are looking forward to our time together on Saturday. We want to remind you of a few details and invite you to pray in preparation for the retreat.  (Note: Please share this information with the women you are bringing to the retreat if you did not give us their email addresses.) 

Reminders:

1. The retreat begins at 9:00 AM, and the parish Mass at St. Roberts starts at 8:30 AM. If you attend Mass, leave via the back door, head to the Mainelli Center, grab your name tag, pick up a beverage or treat, and quickly find a seat.

2. Parking will be packed during Mass, so consider arriving early or carpooling.

3. There is no assigned seating, so you can arrive early to reserve seats if you like. However, please don't turn the chairs toward the tables, as this creates a safety hazard.

Prayer: 

Praying into your time at the retreat is a powerful way to prepare yourself to be open to all God wants to communicate to you. Please read the excellent, encouraging brief article on prayer (SEE BELOW) by Fr. Armand M. Nigro, S.J.  Fr. Nigro reminds us that "Prayer is our awareness and acknowledgment of God's presence. It is what God does to us rather than anything we do.” He suggests a format of 5 P's for prayer:

1) Passage. Choose a passage of Scripture and set it aside. (You can use the ones below related to the retreat).

2) Place. Find a place where you can be alone with God for at least 10 minutes.

3) Posture. Settle yourself in a posture where you can be receptive to hearing from God.

4) Presence of God. Respond to God's presence. For example, "You are here, Lord, You love life into me. Thank you, Lord, I love you too. (See the attached article for more information.)

5) Passage from Scripture. Read the passage from Scripture slowly. Listen as He talks to you. 

To powerfully prepare yourself for the retreat, please try to set aside 10 minutes for prayer using Fr. Nigro’s 5 P’s format each day this week. We also recommend using the Scripture passages included in the PDF handouts below. Click below to view or print Fr.  Nigro's brief Article & Daily Reflections for the Retreat.

Magnificat-Omaha, NE has been approved by Archbishop George Lucas as an official organization for women's evangelization in the Archdiocese of Omaha. We have been hosting Brunches for over six years and are a chapter in the Magnificat Ministry International. 

The International Organization was the inspiration of the late Bishop Stanley J. Ott with the encouragement of the late Archbishop Philip Hannan of New Orleans. The first function, a prayer breakfast, took place on October 7, 1981. 

Now, there are over 80 MAGNIFICAT Chapters in the world.  MAGNIFICAT ministers to those women whose faith in the person of Jesus Christ has allowed them to believe in the activity of God’s Spirit in their lives. It also has great appeal to those women who may be struggling with faith or who have lost touch with the Church. It is a valuable evangelistic tool.

For more information, Email: MagnificatOmaha@gmail.com

Spiritual Advisor: Fr. Michael Voithofer