RETREAT JESUS CARITAS FRATERNITY OF PRIESTS IN ENGLAND
REPORT
RETREAT IN NYMPSFIELD, ENGLAND
JUNE 23RD – 27TH 2014
‘EXPECT A MIRACLE!’ was the message that greeted us from the wall of the reception room as we arrived to begin our retreat – and it soon appeared that we might need one! Three of our members had had to cancel through last minute illnesses and one of them was Jim Murphy, our intended retreat leader who found himself in hospital after collapsing just two days before we were due to begin.
Well, as one wise old brother used to repeat: ‘EVERYTHING IS IN THE FRATERNITY’ – we still had one another, and it proved to be enough. Without any fuss the remaining nine of us finished our cups of tea and got into our usual routine of praying the office, adoration, celebrating the eucharist along with the Sisters and finding inspiration for the review of life in some past conferences of Tony Philpot and the recently transla
ted biography of Brother Charles (‘Journey to Tamanrasset’ by Antoine Chatelard). The atmosphere of friendship and peace was very tangible and was picked up at one of the masses by Adrian spontaneously quoting: ‘How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity’. The Lord blessed us in other ways too: the Marist Sisters looked after us like family and the sun shone steadily upon us in a most un-british way.
p.s. Glad to report that Jim and the other brothers have made a good recovery.
