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Retiro para familias en Waukesha/Milwaukee Family Retreat in Waukesha, Milwaukee Familientag in Waukesha, Milwaukee |
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Programa para padres y hijos Program for parents and children Eltern und Kinder gemeinsam bei der Arbeit |
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Momentos preciosos... Precious moments Kostbare Augenblicke |
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Bill y Laura Lee Wierzbinski Bill & Laura Lee Wierzbinski Bill und Laura Lee Wierzbinski |
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En el Santuario In the Shrine Gebet im Heiligtum Fotos: Fenelon © 2006 |
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Retiro para familias en Waukesha/Milwaukee Family Retreat in Waukesha, Milwaukee Familientag in Waukesha, Milwaukee Fotos: Fenelon © 2006 |
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USA, Michael and Margaret Fenelon. Over the weekend of April 21-23, 2006, eight families with forty children came together at the International Schoenstatt Center in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for a family retreat. The theme for the retreat was "Father, your families go with you ~ Nurturing the Family in the Home, in Schoenstatt, and in the Church." The weekend was a time of prayer, fun, family time, games, reflection, talks, sharing, and good food.
On Friday night, the first evening, the families started to explore the theme and get to know one another. Each family drew a collage of what their image of God the Father was on a large sheet of paper. After that each family introduced themselves through a short skit about what a family was supposed to be through six objects they were given in a paper bag. It was a very fun and funny creative evening.
On Saturday, two talks were given to the parents while the children had their own age-appropriate activities. The first one given by Mike and Marge Fenelon was titled "The Great Atmosphere" and emphasized self-education, creating strong attachments of love between parents and children, and a joyful home atmosphere. They shared their parents’ experiences of being educated and transformed by Father Kentenich as well as their own experiences as parents. The second talk was given by Jim and Shari Novak. They shared their story of how they met and grew as a married couple and family, and especially about how they came to know Schoenstatt which has helped them to bear the many special crosses that have come into their life.
"Spring Festival"
Also on Saturday, Holy Mass was celebrated, confession was made available and there was a living rosary with all the parents and children together. In the evening there was a family game and craft night titled "Spring Festival." The families competed against each other in a couple of games. The first one was a pictionary-type game that explored the virtues of a father. In the second one, each family had to collect statistics about their family for which they earned points, usually the kind of information that the mother knows. After that there was a craft project related to the feast of Pentecost. Then everyone was able to make their own ice cream sundae to top off the day. After the children were in bed there was an opportunity for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for three hours.
Each family’s charism for the Church
On Sunday there was a final talk given by Sr. Marie Day and Bill and Laura Lee Wierzbinski sharing the importance of the Church’s gifts for the family, and the importance of each family’s charism for the Church. Throughout the weekend, after each talk the couples had the opportunity to take time together and discuss each topic and what they had received from it. Then since it was Divine Mercy Sunday all prayed together the Divine Mercy chaplet and finished with Eucharist.
After lunch the families finished the retreat with benediction in the shrine and a special individual blessing for each family. As a remembrance of the retreat each family was given a prayer card with the picture of the statue of the Holy Family (similar to the statues in the Shrine of the Families in Schoenstatt, Germany, and in Belmonte, Italy) with the prayer for the families by Pope John Paul II, and a glass orb with an etching of the Holy Family. Each family left with a renewed spirit to live their vocation of marriage and family life.