Sacred Heart holds Advent retreat to renew parish

Sacred Heart in Corpus Christi held its first parish retreat at the Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center on Saturday, Nov. 22. The retreat included activities with the family, sharing in groups, visiting the Blessed Sacrament, a talk about the Advent season and how to live the season in the church and in families, music and worship with songs and the presentation of groups and organization in the parish.

"It is my responsibility to take care of the spiritual needs of the parish as community," Father Angel Montana, JCL, pastor at Sacred Heart, said. "I found very opportune to have this retreat because we are entering in a new liturgical year and we need to prepare to live this season in the church."

Father Montana said Bishop Michael Mulvey recommended for all pastors to have a retreat in order to prepare the people of God to live this season in the church. He said he was glad to do it, not only because it is the first retreat he has called on the parish to do, but because "we need and want this retreat."

One of the main missions of the Church is to evangelize. This is the call of Pope Francis. Father Montana said the work of evangelization is not only through preparation to receive the sacraments but also in living and practicing the faith.

"In the march of my pastoral work in this parish I have been noticing the spiritual needs of our parish community, and the need you have is my principle mission, the need to have the pastor close to you. Also that is the invitation of our "Pope Francis to get close to the people."

He said the Sacred Heart community is called to be a family, to love the Church and to support the church by working in different ministries and organizations.

"I am glad for the service you are doing but we need to renew ourselves with new spirit; that is the interest of this retreat because many of you are getting tired in helping and other parishioners could join us but our testimony is not good because we are a closed group or something we are doing is not right," Father Montana said. "I encourage you to be open to the Holy Spirit and to reconcile with God and with one another in order to grow as followers of Christ and as a community, parish community and as a family, in this work I can help you if you give me the opportunity to help you we can work together."

He invited parishioners to walk together in preparing themselves in living the season of Advent. He invited them to participate in the parish activities. He reminded them that Advent begins after Thanksgiving and he invited them to the Novena of Our Lady of Guadalupe and to have a Posada in their homes.