Retreats

Be still and acknowledge that I am God, supreme over nations, supreme over the world. (Psalms 46:10)

Conducting retreats is one of the main ways in which we minister to people. Our retreats are normally conducted in a Church or in a Retreat centre where people can listen to the Word of the Lord without any distractions. It is in the silence of the heart that the Lord speaks to us personally. He now went up to the mountain and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him. (Mark 3:13)

The tenure of the retreat varies from 3 days to 5 days. During these days, the attendees are guided through a series of reflective talks based on Scripture. It is by listening to the unadulterated Word of God that the attendees are brought to a clear faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:17)

Besides leading to the Sacraments, our retreats help to lay a solid foundation for the spiritual life based on the Scripture, the Love of God and the faith of the Apostles. On this foundation, people can grow and build their spiritual lives by continuing to remain faithful in daily prayer, meditation on the Scriptures and acts of charity as the Spirit of the Lord inspires. (Mathew 7:24-25)

Spiritual counselling sessions may also be carried out during the retreat for more effective penetration of Scripture and Christ’s healing love into the hearts of the listeners.

On the last day of the retreat, prayers are made for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Thereafter, instructions are given on how to lead a holy and spiritual life to help sustain and nurture the grace of God that is received. (2 Peter 3:18)

Bible Classes

Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you understand neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.’ (Mathew 22:29)

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ (Saint Jerome). The basic reason for all error is our ignorance of Scripture. We conduct Bible Classes regularly in many places for guiding people in Scripture. (Acts 8:30-31; Acts 17:11-12)

Our Bible Classes are conducted mainly with the aim of leading people to discernment of spirits, teaching authentic and true doctrine, holiness of life, perseverance in suffering and living constantly with the aim of eternal life. (Ezekiel 22:26; Ezekiel 44:23)

I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you and instructed you both in public and in your homes, And now I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified. (Acts 20:20,32)

Counselling

“I Myself shall pasture My sheep, I Myself shall give them rest – declares the Lord God. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the injured and make the sick strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them”. (Ezekiel 34:15-16)

Each and every person is precious to the Lord, thus He commanded individual care for His sheep. People live in the world encountering problems and difficulties of all kinds. Some do not know the way they ought to walk, others are very often confused and plagued by doubts, still others bear many bitter wounds in the heart and some others are caught in the grip of many vices and sins. People need the presence of authentic apostles whose spiritual counsel and prayers can comfort, heal and support them on their spiritual journey.

Which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would fail to leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the missing one till he found it? (Luke 15:4)

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to His harvest.’ (Mathew 9:36-37)

Spiritual counselling involves a sharing of the Scripture on a one to one basis by which a person is spiritually renewed, cleansed, refreshed and healed. Through spiritual counselling, the Lord Himself is at work and by the power of His all-healing Word, heals wounds, washes away faults and sins and fills with repentance and the Love of God. (Psalms 107:17-20; Wisdom 16:12)

It is only through a sincere repentance that the Lord heals the soul and gives it a completely new heart. Spiritual counselling is carried out with this objective, to help prepare the soul to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation after a detailed examination of conscience in the light of the commandments.

I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your filth and all your foul idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and shall give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you, and make you keep my laws, and respect and practise my judgements. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

Family Ministry

“Make my joy complete by being of a single mind, one in love, one in heart and one in mind.” (Philippians 2:2)

“This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every fatherhood, in Heaven or on earth, takes it’s name. In the abundance of His glory, may He, through His Spirit, enable you to grow firm in power with regard to your inner self, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, with all God’s holy people you will have the strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; so that, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, you may be filled with the utter fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)

Our ministry to families includes visits to families, sharing the Word of God with them, spending time with them, and being a part of the family, spreading the Love of God among the members, and knitting them together in love. Our presence among them is to have the effect of a lamp giving light or salt giving taste into their daily lives, spreading among them the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

We integrate families into our spirituality of abiding in the Love of God and the Word of God. We cultivate in them a structure of daily prayer that can help families to be holy places where Christ is truly the head. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the Head by whom the whole Body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each part to work according to its function. So the Body grows until it has built itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Prayer Meetings

‘In truth I tell you once again, if two of you on earth agree anything at all, it will be granted to you by My Father in Heaven. For where two or three meet in My Name, I am there among them.’ (Mathew 18:19-20)

We organise and conduct weekly prayer gatherings on a regular basis for refreshing our spiritual lives. The sharing of the Word of God comprises the central part of the Prayer Meeting. Christ is encountered, above all, through His living and enduring Word.

Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?’ (Luke 24:32)

Our weekly prayer gatherings are conducted, whenever possible, on the ‘Day of the Lord’. Our prayer services comprise mainly of a sharing of God’s Word based on a theme of the week, a Rosary with a sharing from Scripture on imitating the virtues of Mary, Mother of God, prayers leading to ongoing repentance, prayers for release from bondages, prayers for spiritual and physical healing, and hymns.

Let the Word of Christ, in all it’s richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God; and whatever you say or do, let it be in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in thanksgiving to God the father through Him. (Colossians 3:16-17)

Through the sharing of Scripture, prayers of praise and hymns of thanksgiving, people are strengthened, their faith increased and their spiritual life constantly renewed.

Visiting the Sick

‘Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’ (Matthew 10:8)

We have been entrusted with the ministry of praying for the sick and the dying. While visiting the sick, we share the Word of God and pray with them that they may receive consolation, healing and strength. We also prepare them for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Any one of you who is ill should send for the elders of the Church, and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully. (James 5:14-16)

We also visit the dying to assist them in their final moments by commending their souls to the Lord. We prepare them for a holy death by helping them to be reconciled to all and asking the Lord to help them receive the gift of sincere contrition.