2nd February, 2024 Feast of the Presentation of Jesus
Dear Friends in Christ-
‘Let your face shine upon us and we shall be saved.’ (Psalm 80:19)
On this glorious Feast of the Presentation, we commence our deep prayer, for a powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit, in our upcoming retreat at St Luke’s Retreat Centre, between 8th to 10th March. We have been planning this retreat since the month of May last year, and we are both so very excited, to be hosting this retreat for you. We are so looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you to the retreat. It will be an honour and a joy, to assist you to grow in your faith and love relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ, especially in the season of Lent. We eagerly await the upcoming six-week period, to pass us by, so that together, we can know and learn, so much more about the Veneration of the Holy Face of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The theme of the retreat is vast and expansive. There is a plethora of information available on the internet, detailing both the need and the urgency, for this beautiful devotion to flourish, in our hearts and in our land. The fact that it has been held out to us, by Our Lord, especially since the period of the mid 1800’s, has accelerated and accentuated this powerful devotion for our times. Our invitation to you is to introduce you to the prayers and scope of this beautiful devotion, especially as the Face of Jesus, the Incarnate Christ, is hidden in the Gospel and revealed to us in the Holy Eucharist, at each Mass, and in all the Sacraments of the Church.
Enclosed with this letter, you will find a recent, and informative article, published in the National Catholic Register. This will serve as a good and concise overview of the retreat. It will also be a very good way for you to start formalising and honing, your own specific desires, and spiritual goals, for the upcoming retreat.
Let us keep each other in our thoughts and prayers, because the love of Christ, urges us on.
Fr Craig Holmes and Fr Theo April