The two-day annual Easter Spiritual Retreat 2018 for Pastoral Community members at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) took place between March 10 and 11, 2018, at Saydet al-Wardiyeh in Kfardebian.
NDU University General Chaplain Fr. Albert Assaf, Trustee of Mar Abda Monastery and Mar Abda Church (OMM) Fr. Elie Matar, Freshman Arts Advisor and Assistant Professor Dr. Jerome Daher, and Assistant Professor Dr. Chadi Rahmeh guided the group during the retreat.
Fr. Assaf began the retreat by celebrating Mass. Following Mass, Dr. Daher reflected on “responsibility.” A person, he said, cannot claim that he or she is a good person. He also discussed how we perceive God. Finally, he traced the roots of homosexuality to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, and how the problem stemmed from their parents. Moreover, he focused on the responsibility of parents toward their children, and urged parents to have the courage to apologize in front of their children whenever they were wrong.
Pastoral Community members prepared a game based on trust to create a stronger bond among members. Later that evening, Fr. Matar gave a presentation focused on the meaning of freedom and how freedom is created. He questioned whether freedom was absolute or not. Following the presentation, a challenging game based on Biblical knowledge was played. The day ended with Eucharist adoration.
On the second day, morning Mass was followed by a presentation given by Dr. Rahmeh. He discussed how Pastoral Community members could start giving presentations to others.
The retreat was a weekend well spent, combining spiritual and social information.