DHARWAD RETREAT
A retreat was organized by the Sisters of Charity at Lourdes School of Nursing in the ‘Academic City’ of Dharwad. The retreat The retreat was was preached by DCC team comprising of Fr. Valerian Fernandes SVD, Fr. Evan Gomes SVD, Bro. Maxim Moraes for the nursing students; about one hundred of them. We were delighted to see their enthusiasm and spirit. Right away, as we began the retreat, we felt at home with their spontaneous response. We had two full days with the students. The Adoration at the end of the first day was a real blessing as the students fully participated in the prayers and singing. We were delighted to see their desire and response. The second day also was a beautiful experience. In spite of the cold winter, we were all experiencing the warmth of the love of the Lord. We had beautiful soul-searching confessions and honest sharing during the counselling sessions. Though most of the students hailed from neighbouring towns and villages, they were quite adept at English and other languages. It was not merely a multi-lingual group but was also a multi-religious group. The students belonging to other religions too participated actively in most of the prayers and retreat preaching. There was an open atmosphere of being one though we belonged to many religions and regions!
The final Adoration with the healing and anointing of the Spirit was a real high point of the retreat. The atmosphere was fully charged with the Spirit of the Lord. The entire two-hour session seemed like a short time. In spite of the fact that there were one hundred students, there was stillness and silence as we prayed in silence. There was also the loud and joyful singing when required. On the whole, the two-days were worth the time spent with the students. They had many positive experiences to share with us as we were departing. We too were well treated by the sisters and the school staff. God bless them all. God willing, we hope to reach out to many more such schools and parishes in and around Dharwad.