To say we got more than we expected is an understatement when reflecting upon the healing retreat at the OLCC Retreat Center in Corpus Christi Texas this past week.
http://www.ourladyofcc.org/adoration-chapel/the-history/
Women of all faiths came to hear the comforting words of Sister Anne Marie Walsh, a S.O.L.T. Sister who has twice survived cancer. Her message provided great relief from the deep darkness that can come with having lived with cancer. She reunites us with Christ via the Spiritual Exercises created by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Using the practical exercises in combination with intercessional prayer to our Queen of Peace, Mary the mother of God, Sr. Anne Marie gave us a way to recreate our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.
How we see ourselves, how we see God, how we relate with God and with others, how we see the future and heaven directly effect how we deal with suffering. There are beautiful graces obtained in suffering, and at the retreat, we learned what this means. My eyes are lifted up, my hopes are great and all the sweet ladies attending OLCC received special Blessings from Father Dan Estes. Those ladies are lights of hope and beacons that guide others to Jesus' great and eternal love for us, His children. Jesus does not intend for suffering to be. This retreat provides much needed answers to the spiritual questions that arise out of learning we have something like cancer.
The campus in and of itself exists as a gift from God. The beautiful Perpetual Adoration Chapel under the spectacular Blue Dome joyously invites everyone to enter and experience the Love of God. In the retreat center we experienced mass in a chapel built with the love of Father Dan and his brother. The meals are made with a most kind and generous spirit by a woman named Delores and her very friendly staff. Sr. Laudem Gloriae, a special angel on earth, attends to our every comfort and need with great enthusiasm, attending to all the details necessary to make us feel at home. Sr. Anne Marie Walsh comes to us with having had real life experiences with cancer, wisdom, a deep sense of compassion and inspiration to lift us out of the darkness in this most peaceful and serene setting.
Truthfully speaking there is no one way to summarize the message or the gifts received at the OLCC. Each woman had their own individual needs and questions. Each woman went home with more than what was asked for and each face had a beautifully brilliant smile. They were beaming with joy and because of that I know it was a great success.
We will be continuing this very special retreat in the future. Sr. Anne Marie Walsh has the abundant love of Christ in her heart and in her voice. I, along with the others, truly did not want the event to come to a close. But with us we take these teachings and prayers to carry home with us for our benefit and the benefit of others, so that cancer is not a message of death but a gateway to living the Life and Love of God through Jesus. Remember, women of all faiths were in attendance. My vision was and is for any woman with cancer who seeks comfort and grace from Jesus to come to the OLCC for the sake of their relief from fear and anxiety.
Please remember to share and save this page for future reference. I will be announcing soon the upcoming schedule and am praying that all of the ladies who were in attendance will continue to experience the joy received at the OLCC and that their renewed relationship with Jesus stays most evident in their daily lives as they live their beautiful lives.
God Bless Father Dan Estes, Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, Sr. Laudem Gloriae and Delores, their staff and all the beautiful ladies who attended this retreat for you are witness to the breath of life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here is a Facebook Link to the OLCC:
https://www.facebook.com/OLCCBookstore?fref=nf
Here also is a link to a blog written by Sr. Anne Marie Walsh:
http://missionaryinthemodernworld.blogspot.com
Peace and Blessings,
Denise Archuleta
Servivorgirl
