Week after week, the Sabbatical programme challenges its participants with various topics and presenters from all over the world. After presentations on St Paul, then Self-Transformation which I have previously written about, the next weeks were filled with discussions on Prison Ministry, Ubungoma and Laudate Si. In week 6 the retreatants went on a week of Retreat with the topic of Prayer. Father Hugh Lagan, SMA, travelled from Ireland to give a week-long presentation on “The second half of life: A journey from success to significance” and in week 8 another week-long presentation on strength-based Leadership and Ministry.
Currently the Sabbatical Programme is in week 9 and Sr Gemma Simmonds, CJ, is presenting on Zoom on the topic of “Baptism – Priest, Prophet and King”. Sr Gemma is a senior research fellow at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge, United Kingdom. She is also the director the Religious Life Institute and teaches Christian spirituality and pastoral theology. Further to being an internal speaker and lecturer, she has been a spiritual director and retreat giver for over 30 years. She is a regular broadcaster on religious matters on the BBC, Radio Maria England and other radio and television networks.
Unfortunately, Sr Gemma could not travel from the UK to join the participants, but thanks be to God St Luke’s Retreat Centre is fully equipped to facilitate online sessions in the Main Hall. The Presenter can address the Sabbatical participants via the SMART TV and can interact with everyone in the room via a Video camera that allows to zoom in onto the speaker. Discussions are handled via the state-of-the-art P&A system which allow for Q&A session. While the COVID-19 pandemic was a traumatic period for everyone that lived through it, it has also brought something good about: the possibility of being able to communicate online in such a matter when necessary.
Please continue to pray for all the Sabbatical participants as they prayerfully reflect on their vocation and ministry in the church today.
