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| Parish Invitation The ACTS program is an ideal enhancement to life within a Parish. For this reason we invite all parish priests to review the material below to determine if your parish is a "good fit" for the program.
Seven years ago the first ACTS retreat was held in Connecticut. A team came up from Texas at their own expense and put on a four-day, three-night retreat. The results were fantastic. Clearly the ACTS movement was here to stay. The second retreat consisted of one-half the team from Texas and the remainder from the initial retreat group. Once again, the retreat results were overwhelming. The program has expanded and now consists of Men's, Women's and Youth ACTS retreat format.
Some members have participated in prison ACTS retreats. A team has recently returned from the first ACTS retreat in Africa. ACTS is happening in many states throughout the country, and in Texas, where it began, there are 150 retreats per year.
Today, several parishes in Connecticut have enough trained retreatants in order to put on a retreat. The preference is to select a retreat director who in turn selects a team from prior retreatants. Typically sixty percent of a new team consists of members from the immediate past retreat and forty per cent from members who have served on a retreat team before.
A spiritual director is always a part of the team.
Even though the team has a thorough understanding of the retreat, they still get together a number of times prior to the actual retreat and prepare as a team. They also contribute significant funds to cover the incidentals associated with a retreat so that this cost is not passed on to the retreatants. They also pay their own retreat expenses.
As you can see, the teams are clearly dedicated semi-professionals that are committed to insuring a positive religious experience for every retreatant. Many priests and nuns have been a part of this experience as a retreatant and have then supported the expansion of the ACTS movement within their parish after attending an ACTS retreat.
Many of the retreatants take on new ministries within their respective parishes after experiencing an ACTS retreat.
Your parish can sponsor an ACTS retreat, or you can simply attend a retreat to find out what it is all about. There is no cost to you as a priest or a nun.
Please Contact ACTS to find out more about the program and arrange a personal visit from ACTS members to further explain the program.
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