Scottish Laity Network Pentecost Retreat

This year's Scottish Laity Network Pentecost Retreat - entitled: An Outpouring of Empowerment - is being led by four women: Sister Mary Rose Fitzsimmons, Sister Margaret Ann Minnards, Rosa Murray and Sister Anna O'Connor.

Their press release states: "As we approach Pentecost it is an opportune moment to reflect on the breath of God in Creation and that powerful outpouring of the breath of the Holy Spirit on those gathered in the upper room.

An outpouring that led to a movement committed to the project of Jesus to 'turn the world upside down'.

A movement that denounced, in word and above all through lifestyle, the blasphemy of a system that divided the world into rich and poor.

Our fragile, broken and divided world desperately needs the followers of Jesus to be renewed with that energising breath of the Spirit that will allow us to liberated from any fears and doubts and empowered to go forth to fully live and proclaim the Good News.

The signs of the times provide powerful reminders of the importance of breath and the impact of denying it. As a result of the pandemic we have seen people throughout the world struggling for breath. Coupled to that are the tragic last words of George Floyd, 'I can't breathe', words that have resonated with so many of those who are oppressed and marginalised and have 'become the mantra of oppression'. The words also echo powerfully the cry of the earth that is being suffocated through human activity.

During our Retreat we will, through prayer and reflection, seek to deepen our understanding and experience of the breath of the Holy Spirit. We will acknowledge the centrality of breath in our Christian prayer tradition recognising that we have 'divine breadth in our lungs'.

But the breath of the Spirit is more than oxygen it is a gift that empowers us to 'shape a vision of the future, a vision that points to new ways and gives us strength for the hardest times'. We need the 'new Pentecost' that John XXIII prayed for at the convocation of Vatican II especially in a Church in which some are finding it difficult to breathe."

For further details see: https://youtu.be/a95602xqp2M

To register please email: slaitynetwork@gmail.com