Daily Mass and confession amid Alaska's glaciers#
Passengers boarded expecting a week of fellowship and spiritual renewal that included daily Mass, the rosary, Holy Hour and confession as the ship moved through the glaciers and ports of the Inside Passage, according to Must Read Alaska. Some travelers wanted a concentrated retreat, while others hoped for a Catholic week that still left room to enjoy Alaska, and both groups ended up on the same voyage without always sharing the same experience of it, the outlet reports.mustreadalaska.com 1 source for this line, starting with Must Read Alaska
Pillars of Faith takes its name from St. John Bosco's vision of the Church as a ship kept safe by two pillars, the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, Must Read Alaska reports. Bishop Strickland presented that vision in his first talk and invited travelers to join the apostolate's work.mustreadalaska.com 1 source for this line, starting with Must Read Alaska
A bishop's search for a community, and some confusion#
Bishop Strickland later described the arrangement in personal terms, saying the apostolate was seeking leadership while he sought a flock to serve, and that the fit felt natural to him, according to Must Read Alaska. That explanation helped some passengers understand why the cruise had been organized, the outlet reports, though it left others uncertain about what kind of gathering they had actually signed up for, whether a retreat, an initiative to establish a fresh congregation, or a voyage building toward a fundraising appeal.mustreadalaska.com 1 source for this line, starting with Must Read Alaska
Must Read Alaska concludes that the strongest part of the week remained simple regardless of that uncertainty: Christ was present in the Eucharist, and the bishop asked the faithful to keep their attention on him, an invitation the outlet says did not depend on glaciers, printers or fundraising.mustreadalaska.com 1 source for this line, starting with Must Read Alaska
Other Christian gatherings held the same summer#
The Pillars of Faith voyage followed a summer of other Christian retreats reported elsewhere. Independent Catholic News reported that youth across the Holy Land, in Palestine, Galilee, Jordan and Cyprus, took part in camps this summer including a 'Leadership and Skills' training day at Ein Arik led by Bishara Alawi, a 'Wake Up Call' camp on fear and resilience, the children's 'Threads of the Story' camp held June 18-20, and a 'Stella Maris' camp for secondary-school youth built around the phrase "put out into deep water" (Lk 5:4).indcatholicnews.com 1 source for this line, starting with indcatholicnews.com
Separately, USA Today reported that the Crucible Project in Wheaton, Illinois, announced experiential Christian retreats built around what it calls radical honesty and grace, tracing its Dare to Soar program to a first weekend held in February 2002 and to founder Huston's 1996 experience at a secular men's weekend.usatoday.com 1 source for this line, starting with USA Today
