Retreats: Full Speed Ahead

Our place is working out to be very nice for retreats and workshops. This past Saturday, we hosted a ministry group that had an all-day event with workshops, prayer, meals and breakout sessions. It went very smoothly, and we got a lot of positive feedback. A couple of us were on hand to help facilitate the process by washing dishes, cleaning, arranging furniture and providing general hospitality.

The group moved from the large dining room and into the living room and chapel for various sessions throughout the day. For breaks, it was a lovely sunny afternoon so some folks went out into the church's courtyard and others found space in the parlor rooms or elsewhere.

There were nearly 35-40 people in the building for most of the day. People said that it was comfortable and there didn't seem to be any issues with space. This is good news, because we were previously unsure about what size group we could handle. We had to be creative with space to accommodate everybody, but we were able to do it without sacrificing quality. We probably don't want to have groups larger than 50.

We learned a lot from this event. There is a lot of work to be done the day before the group arrives. It is also important to have at least 2 Catholic Workers on hand at all times to help with clean-up and hosting.

There is another ministry group scheduled in a couple of weeks, and this one is also looking to be a large group and a number of the participants will be staying overnight for a 2-day event. We are looking forward to it!