Chaldeans from around San Diego, CA, and Las Vegas, NV, together attended a retreat at St. George Chaldean Monastery near Lake Matthews in Riverside, CA, on Saturday March 10^th.

The Retreat began with a game of introducing themselves to one another in order to grow closer to those around them. Soon after, they all gathered alongside Father Andrew who began a lovely talk on the Temptation of the Lord in Matthew Chapter 4.

During a break, some people mingled, while others from San Diego meandered around the enchanting desert area and hiked up a mountain with a visionary scenic view. During the Retreat the group prayed the Rosary, had confession, and enjoyed twenty minutes of personal reflection time. This allowed them to go deeper into their hearts and minds and come closer to God. It was a time for one-on-one prayer with God.

They then all came to listen to a very meaningful story where they pretended as though they were about to be executed when suddenly a man enters and says that he will die for them, reflecting Christ’s Crucifixion. This allowed them to act like an actual witness to Christ’s death and let them visualize the story in their minds of how He died for the sake of their sins. This eventually led to them to pray the
Fourteen Stations of the Cross. This was an incredibly graceful event where Chaldeans came together to pray for the purpose of coming closer to God.

 

	Meditation with moment of silence