Those of you who followed along with our most recent construction project of transforming the old, abandoned school building on the OLA campus into a new Outreach and Retreat Center, will know that the building is FINALLY fully finished and ready to be used in this new way for the mission of the Church! We have been using the 1st floor of the Outreach Center for our food pantry and other events for the past few years, and we have even hosted long-term summer volunteers and college spring break service groups in the 57-bedroom retreat center on the 3rd floor for the past few years, but as of the past few months, we have finally reached the point where we are ready to start welcoming in large-scale weekend retreat groups.
Earlier this month we hosted 50+ students and FOCUS missionaries from UIC’s St. John Paul II Newman Center for their annual Spring Retreat, followed by a 30+ young adult retreat for St. Clement’s Parish the following weekend. At the retreats, our community was present to connect with the retreatants, help prepare meals, provide music for Holy Hours, give talks, and join with retreatants in prayer during some of their Holy Hours.
We have also been opening up our Outreach Center chapel to local adorers in order to sustain near-perpetual Eucharistic Adoration for those attending the retreats. It has been such a joy to begin to use the new Retreat Center regularly and to have such a beautiful space to offer others to be able to step away from the challenges and rhythm of daily life in order to have a new and deeper encounter with Jesus.
Check out the slideshow below for more pictures from these two incredible retreats!
