About 3 thousand Catholics attended a spiritual retreat to renew
their faith during the period of Lent. The retreat was held from March 11 to 14 in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Cuttack, Orissa.
The closing ceremony was officiated by Msgr. John Barwa, Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneshwar.
To those present, he said: "In the Lord everything is possible. If we are not with the Lord we will be empty in life. The strength, the energy, the faith, the knowledge and wisdom we get if God is with us. It is only possible through prayer”.
Fr. Chitoranjan Nayak, pastor of the cathedral, says that Fr. Anil Dev, the priest who led the retreat, has "focused attention on the Word of God,His love and His sacrifice. He also stressed spiritual and physical healing".
His words were an inspiration to many. Martin Kujur, secretary of the parish and one of the participants, says: "Thanks to this charismatic retreat I renewed my relationship with God and neighbor. I had the great opportunity for introspection on my spiritual path during the holy season of Lent. "
“I was more interested to spend time in film than in prayer, more interested in cell phone than reading Bible. I brought cell phone even to the church, so much attached but after attending this charismatic retreat I knew the value of prayer and the grace of God that accompanied throughout my life,” said Snehakruti Baxla a college student.
The spiritual exercises were led by Fr. Anil Dev, a member of the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) and president of the Regional Pastoral Team for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Varanasi. His presence was strongly supported by the parish priest. Fr. Anil is an esteemed preacher and is also the head of Matridham Ashram ( "House of Mother") of Varanasi, the spiritual and contemplative IMS center dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The ashram is a perfect example of spiritual coexistence between Christians and Hindus. About the center, Fr. Anil says that "it is a place open to all who are searching for something in a genuine way, irrespective of any caste or creed. We sincerely welcome all people of good will.'