Ablaze Kerygma Retreats
Ablaze is a retreat day designed to bring you to a new encounter with Jesus Christ and to experience His personal love for you. For those of us who work for the Church, we regularly need to be refreshed by the One whom we serve on a day to day basis. The Ablaze retreat is an opportunity to receive that renewal.
During this day, you will hear the essential Good News of Jesus Christ (the “kerygma”) proclaimed in brief, compelling talks, followed by times for personal reflection. There will also be opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration, Confession and meaningful conversation over meals.
This retreat is available in both English and Spanish. To find out when the next Ablaze retreat is happening, send an email to the Office for the New Evangelization at phillyevang@archphila.org.
Ablaze FAQs
What is the Ablaze retreat?
The Ablaze retreat is a one-day event offered for employees of Archdiocesan parishes, schools or other institutions. Its goal is to provide a moment for participants to experience deeply and personally the love that Jesus Christ has for them.
What happens at this retreat?
There will be three talks during the retreat day which will take participants through the “kerygma”, that is, the core message of the Gospel: (1) that God created us for relationship with himself, (2) that each us of us has fallen and yet has been redeemed in Jesus, and (3) that Jesus is inviting each of us to fullness of life through personal friendship with him. After each talk, participants will have time for personal prayer, reflecting on what they heard and listening to what God wants to say to them. At the end of the day, there will be a period of Eucharistic Adoration in which participants will have the opportunity to go to confession and, if they desire, to make a personal commitment to put Jesus at the center of their life. Breakfast and lunch will be served.
Who should attend?
The primary audience for the Ablaze retreat is staff of parishes, schools or Archdiocesan institutions. The most effective way to participate in the retreat is for a pastor (or principal or supervisor) to attend the retreat with the staff.
What is “Kerygma”?
“Kerygma” is the Greek word that the Church uses to refer to the proclamation of the core message of the Gospel:
- Relationship: God created man for a relationship with Him.
- Rebellion: Our relationship is broken through sin.
- Reconciliation: Jesus restores our relationship with God through His Passion, Death and Resurrection.
- Re-creation: Jesus invites us to follow Him into fullness of life through the life of the Church.
- Response: We are invited by Jesus to a conversion of heart, to repent and make a personal decision to follow Him.
Hearing the kerygma and making the decision to put Jesus at the center of our lives is the foundation of becoming a missionary disciple.
“We have rediscovered the fundamental role of the first announcement or kerygma, which needs to be the center of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at Church renewal…This first proclamation is called ‘first’ …because…it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways.” -Pope Francis
What do we do after the retreat?
We strongly recommend that before attending the retreat the pastor (or principal or supervisor) make a plan to do follow-up with staff after the retreat. At minimum, they should schedule a meeting shortly after the retreat to discuss what they experienced. For a list of suggested post-retreat resources, send an email to the Office for the New Evangelization at phillyevang@archphila.org.
The Ablaze Kerygma Retreat is made possible through a grant from The Ambassador’s Fund for Catholic Education.