Ministry Preparation

Everything you need regarding Ministry Preparation is below. To jump to those sections quickly, use the Quick Links.

Quick Links

Team Instructions

Prayer

Scripture

Prayer Support and Letters

Sacramental Preparation

The best preparation for the retreat weekend is to pray, to share the gift of yourself with your team, to support your team in every way possible and to be open to God’s call in your life. That said, this section provides some practical information on preparing for the retreat weekend. More information about specific ministries can be found in Ministry Descriptions and set-up details can be found in the facilitator guides under the “Retreat Weekend” section.

Team Instructions

During JOURNEY with Christ:

• Participate fully in all team JOURNEY with Christ meetings

• Be faithful to daily personal prayer and Scripture reading

• Support all team members. Pray for each other daily

• Hold what is shared in confidence

• Prepare properly for all team meetings

• Prayerfully and actively participate in the invitations process

• Prayerfully and actively participate in the Agape letter process

On the retreat weekend:

• Maintain an attitude of prayerfulness and hospitality throughout the retreat weekend

• Share your experience of renewal with others, but don’t compare experiences

• Focus attention on retreatants, not team members

• Allow the flow and spirit of the weekend to be natural. Let people respond to God’s call in their own ways, in their own time

• Allow the Journey Leader to lead the retreat weekend. Any departure from schedule must be approved by the Journey Leader

• Fulfill your ministry to the fullest

• Pray more, worry less

• Get to know all retreatants

• Do not give hints to what comes next, but answer questions openly. Remember you are in God’s hands and on God’s time

• Confidentiality is critical

• Team members not assigned to the Witness Room should spend time in the chapel when not performing other responsibilities.

Prayer

Prayer must be at the heart of authentic renewal. Prayer is at the heart of the JOURNEY process. If God is the very source of our existence, it makes sense to be in continuous contact with that source. “In Him we live and move and have our being.”

Everything we do on the retreat weekend should help us become closer to God. All of the team’s actions on the retreat weekend should be an open prayer to God, with the Holy Spirit conducting the connection.  Prayer life is more important than prayer forms. Everyone on the team must model a life of prayer, where everything that is said and done creates an environment for renewal. The whole team must be the presence of a prayerful people whose every word, action and attitude creates an environment where God’s spirit works powerfully to renew people.

The personal prayer practices of JOURNEY with Christ lead us to be able to speak and be present to the needs that arise during the retreat weekend. The retreat weekend process invites prayer and reveals the fruits of prayer.  As we pray together, we find common cause in the promises of Christ. Through prayer we discover that we not only need God, we need each other. We are called to step out from the privacy of prayer and risk healing, supported by others who go to God with us.

Although the retreat weekend does not teach specifics on how to pray, retreatants come to know the importance, value, purpose and power of prayer through the many opportunities and forms offered during the weekend. Team members, especially those in the Witness Room, are called to be sensitive to moments of prayer, not only those scheduled but the unexpected occasions as well. It is the faith and the openness to prayer of the team that will best guide retreatants into their own prayer.

Scripture

 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16

The primary handbook of JOURNEY is the Bible. The Word of God guides us in our relationship with God. We must know the Word of God. Scripture is a means through which we encounter the living God in a personal way. Scripture is meant to lead us into a communion with God, into a personal relationship of faith and love.

Bible enthronement, the gift of Bibles to retreatants, incorporating Scripture into each witness talk, Scripture reflections throughout the retreat weekend – all these things are tangible signals of the importance of Scripture.

The retreat weekend provides opportunities to pray Scripture, not study it. Scripture is the Word of God, alive in our midst, another form of Christ’s presence. Our attitude toward Scripture should be one of listening. Scripture is one way God has of speaking to us. A listening heart is a heart that can be touched, moved and brought to more love.

In the Scripture, we meet God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Pondering God’s word with faith and love allows us to be in the presence of the Trinity. The Word of God has power to encourage us, to prepare us to live our lives as Christians and provide direction when we are confused. God’s word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Prayer Support and Letters

Prayer support cannot be emphasized enough.  The retreat weekends do not happen unless people pray. Remember, you are in your ministry because your parish prayed, other JOURNEY team members prayed, your friends and family prayed. Prayer support can be chapel prayer support or general/personal written prayer support. The Agape Coordinator typically arranges for Agape letters, but the entire team contributes to the effort. A member of the Continuation Committee organizes chapel support.

The team must be committed to providing prayer support for each other and for the retreatants. Team members must pray for each other and the retreatants, should write letters of encouragement and should help the Agape Coordinator solicit letters from the family and friends of retreatants.

Agape letters are a community exercise in asking God to sustain our positive response to his call, and to help others respond, to say “yes” to the gift of new life and to commit their lives to the giver of new life. Agape letters put a face on the prayers of people.

General prayer support. General prayer support are letters that are read out loud to all on Sunday morning. These letters are addressed to all men or women on the weekend.  Give sufficient notice to allow written responses by those whom you ask to write general letters of support.

• Call/write local Catholic and Christian churches and ask for prayer and general Agape letters. Focus on other JOURNEY parishes.

• Ask your bishop to pray for the renewal weekend and write a letter to all the people on the weekend.

• Talk to leaders in parish school and religious education program.  Ask them to pray and have kids write letters, make banners, posters, etc., showing their prayer support.  Feel free to be innovative.

• Ask parish organization leaders for a letter from each parish organization.

• Ask well know Christians for general Agape letters.

• Ask former pastors/clergy/sisters, etc. to pray and/or write letters of general support.

• Ask senior citizens club, shut-in people, young mothers to pray and/or write letters of general support.

Personal prayer support. MOST IMPORTANT!  These are love letters, tangible expressions of God’s love shown through the people in our lives. Be sure to solicit personal Agape letters for each retreatant from those who are closest to them, as well as support for the team, the pastor and the teen witness.  These will be addressed to each person by name. For those who are without immediate family, make a special effort to gather letters from friends and possibly coworkers.

Each retreatant is asked to designate an emergency contact person on the registration form. That contact person is typically a good place to start soliciting personal Agape letters. Explain the purpose of the letters as affirmations and opportunities to share how important the retreatant is to the person writing the letter. Even young children can draw a picture.

• Spouses, parents, children of invitees. 

• Friends of invitees.

• Parish staff.

• Co-workers.

• Siblings, other family 

NOTE:  All prayer Agape letters need to be collected by 9 am Sunday morning.  Agape Coordinator will sort for proper distribution. Many parishes set up a box in the church vestibule to collect letters.