Men of God

Mater Dolorosa Retreat House


If you missed setting aside time during Holy Week, don't feel too bad. There are always opportunities to set aside time for yourself, some time to reflect on your life's direction, some time to just sit back and think. Some time to spend in Sabbath or in retreat.

In the Philippines, at least in my youth, Holy Week was a national religious event, when people stopped working, closed stores and offices, spent time in church and in prayer. Holy Thursday was "Visita Iglesia" when we walked or drove from church to church, to visit the Blessed Sacrament exposed for adoration after evening Mass until midnight. Good Friday was spent at home, in silence, observing fast and abstinence, listening to the Seven Last Words ("Siete Palabras") preached from noon to three at the main Cathedral and broadcasted throughout the islands.

From Good Friday to early Easter Sunday, my parents did not allow us to open the radio or TV or watch the movies, except religious drama (The Ten Commandments, The Robe, Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, A Man for All Seasons, etc.) Good Friday was the annual family retreat day. Now, regrettably, I am told Filipinos are making Holy Week (Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday) a national vacation time, to spend in beaches and resorts -- much like the paganistic spring breaks we see in the United States and across the border.

In this day and age, our lives are indeed getting so busy, there is hardly time to step off the treadmill to check out if we are making any progress. How much time we spend on the phone, on emails, faxes, blackberries, video games, etc. is frightening. We go to fast food restaurants, or if we are home, we finish our meals quickly so we can attend to other things. We are surrounded by the vicissitudes of modern technology, bombarded by multimedia and repetitious advertisement. There's newspapers and magazines, radio and TV, movies, the Internet -- all competing for our diminishing time and short attention span. No wonder, we complain that we hardly have time. Particularly, time for ourselves -- to rest, to think, to meditate, to pray. Or simply to be.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former soldier, knew the importance of retreat, in ultimately achieving victory. Thus, he drafted the "Spiritual Exercises" and came up with the concept of a silent retreat. A special time to think, reflect -- take a step back in order to take two steps forward.

On April 4-6, a hundred men will gather at Mater Dolorosa Retreat House in Sierra Madre, a half hour drive from Los Angeles, two hours from San Diego, three hours from El Centro. From Friday afternoon to Sunday noon, these men of God, aged 15 to 85 will say the rosary, do the Stations of the Cross, read Scripture and holy books, attend Mass together, pray for each other, dine together in silence. They will also listen to Rev. Fr. Pat Brennan, head of the Passionist Community, and enjoy his unending stories and patented Irish jokes.

In 1740, St. Paul of the Cross founded a community dedicated to proclaiming Christ crucified and keeping the memory of His passion alive. Known as the Passionists, these dedicated disciples of St. Paul of the Cross specialize in holding retreats centered on the Passion of Christ. Thus, it is an experience to attend their traditional retreats around Holy Week.

The Passionists have been conducting retreats at Mater Dolorosa since 1932. They have hosted thousands of men and women to spend time with God at this sacred place, beside the San Gabriel Mountains. Retreats are held throughout the year, for men, women, married couples, high school students, etc. -- but retreats around Holy Week and Easter are extra special.

A weekend retreat typically starts with retreatants arriving Friday afternoon, partaking of a welcome supper followed by evening conference and prayer service. Saturday morning starts early at 7 AM with prayer, breakfast, conferences, followed with other devotions and time in the afternoon for Penance Service. There is ample time for private spiritual direction and time to take walks around 80 acres of beautiful foothills and walking trails. Sunday concludes with Mass and Eucharist at noon.

This traditional weekend retreat is designed so people do not have to miss work, yet are able to spend worthwhile time, essentially experiencing what Fr. Tom Green likes to call "A Vacation with the Lord".

If interested in joining the men's retreat on April 4-6 at the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, please email me at ed.gamboa@yahoo.com. You may check out Mater Dolorosa through their website www.materdolorosa.org. or call (626) 355-7188 for future events.

Another weekend gathering for men is the Benedictus Breakfast to be held on Saturday, March 29th, in Escondido at the California Center for the Arts. The meeting will start with breakfast at 8 AM. It promises to be a cool event. Philip Rivers, quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, will be the featured guest speaker. Named after Philip the Apostle, Philip Rivers is a very dedicated Catholic, regularly attending Mass with his wife, Tiffany, and their three children at St. Michael's Church in Poway. It will be worthwhile to hear him speak on how he balances his life as a family man and a professional athlete, how he keeps his spirituality growing, while getting out into the wide world of sports every weekend as a celebrity. His favorite scripture passage is from Galatians 6:9: "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up".

You may reserve tickets for the event ($25 for adults, $20 for teens) by registering online at www.Benedictus1.com. Clergy are entitled to complementary tickets. Tickets will not be available at the door.

Happy Easter!

(Dr. Gamboa can be reached at ed.gamboa@yahoo.com)