L'Arche GWDC
November 8, 2012
“We believe that each person has a gift—something special and uniquely their own to offer the world. But, like the flame of a candle, this gift can be fragile. The words people say or the way they treat us can cause us to doubt our gifts. The society in which we live values certain things that can cause us to feel our gifts are inferior. Like the wind snuffing out our candles, the world can cause us to doubt or hide our gifts.
Our reaction is to shelter our gifts, like a candle held low and close. … [This] is the gift of life in L’Arche: When the flame of our candle is extinguished, when we feel as if the gifts we contribute are too little or of no value, there is our community, ready to re-light our candle, reminding us of our giftedness and uniqueness, and to tell us that we are important and valuable—and that we are a community.” —Mark Lepper, L’Arche Heartland (Overland Park, KS)
Join L’Arche and St. Francis of Assisi Parish to discover more about how to discover and reveal God’s gifts in your own life during a free, three-hour Advent retreat on December 8. The retreat will include an opening reflection from Fr. David Beaubien of St. Francis, a session focused on the L’Arche community, and a break-out session for small group discussion and activity.
Find the retreat schedule and directions here and download the St. Francis Advent Retreat Flyer for distribution.
Space is limited. RSVP to Bethany Keener at 202.507.1328 or bethanykeener@larche-gwdc.org by December 1, 2012.