A small, bucolic retreat center in Alva started by a Catholic laywoman and run by Catholic nuns for 26 years has been declared off-limits by the Diocese of Venice because it is not Catholic enough.Some say the action by Bishop Frank Dewane could threaten the existence of the Mother of God House of Prayer, a center on Cypress Creek Road that can host small groups for overnight retreats and meetings of up to 40 people.
Two years ago, Dewane caused a stir at Pope John XXIII parish in south Fort Myers by banning yoga classes there.
Dewane has complained the center, where 700 to 800 come each year to meditate, study and pray, has a board of directors with non-Catholic members, schedules speakers who have not been cleared by the diocese and has no Catholic priest serving as chaplain.
Since its beginning, the center has had a strong Catholic background and a strong ecumenical atmosphere, qualities revered by its board and supporters.
Center Board President Bill Loy estimates half the people who come to the center for group or individual retreats are Catholic.
That means half are not.
“It brings people together from all faiths,” said Betty Smith, a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Community in Buckingham. “That is why it is such an important place. We are a little upset by what has transpired. It is going to be very hard. I don’t know if they are going to survive.”
The center operates on a budget of about $135,000 a year. Loy said donations have fallen 15 to 20 percent because of the recession.
In a letter to all Catholic church pastors, Diocese Chancellor Volodymyr Smeryk directed “any existing relationships” between Catholic parishes and the center “are to be terminated immediately.”
The letter specifically banned celebrating Mass at the center and allowing parish churches to advertise or provide fundraising opportunities for the center.
It is unclear if the directive means Catholic groups are banned from holding retreats at the center, but some have interpreted it that way and have canceled bookings, costing the center around $2,000, according to Loy.
In addition, the center’s director, Sister Carol Beevers, has been taken off the diocese’s approved speaker list and is banned from presenting retreats or programs and offering spiritual counseling to individuals in parish churches, which she has been doing frequently.
The ban comes after more than a year of talks between the center and the diocese, talks Loy portrayed as a cordial dialogue.
For more than eight months, there were communications between the diocese and board of directors, said Adela Gonzales White, diocese spokeswoman. The goal of this dialogue was to clarify the identity of the facility in relation to the Catholic Church, in light of the responsibilities that accompany the relationship.
“The Board of Directors of the Mother of God House of Prayer Inc. decided that the retreat center would not be a Catholic facility, but rather a ‘private retreat and spiritual growth center, governed by an ecumenical board of directors,’ and informed the Diocese of their decision on Feb. 6, 2009,’’ White wrote in an e-mail response to questions by The News-Press.
In a letter to Robert J. Kretschmer of Fort Myers, the widower of the center’s founder, Dewane also said the ban came because the center’s board decided not to be Catholic.
“The board did not decide not to be Catholic anymore,” Beevers said.
Kretschmer is angry at the diocese’s implication the center changed and became non-Catholic and also by the diocese’s action to disown it.
He said the center has not changed, even with the latest action, since his late wife, Mary Ann Kretschmer, sensed the need for a place for retreats and founded the center in the early 1980s.
Kretschmer has filed complaints against Dewane with Catholic hierarchy in Washington, D.C., and Rome. He believes Dewane has exceeded his authority.
“What the bishop has done is cut them off at their knees,” he said.
Loy is more optimistic than Kretschmer. He sees the action as “a great opportunity.”
“We will be able to broaden our marketing,” he said. “I think there will be a backlash. We will start to see more people coming out there.”
“I am not sure how crippling it will be,” said Shari Garcia, a resident of Buckingham and member of St. Vincent de Paul.
Garcia often volunteers at the center and said she will continue to.
“I am not too excited about the ruling,” she said.
“It is an inclusive place. I have a hard time with intolerance. I like to keep the frame of mind to embrace all of humanity and get along with people of different beliefs.”+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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