On the feast of Holy Trinity, on Sunday, June 4, a three-day spiritual retreat for employees and volunteers of Depaul Croatia was completed. It was held on the theme: “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). The leader of spiritual renewal was Silva Vrdoljak, a theologian and mentor in hagiotherapy, a member of the Community of Prayer and Word, whose founder is the priest, professor Tomislav Ivančić. Rev. Pero Marjanović led the Eucharistic celebration in the Haven House, on June 3. Matthew Carter, Depaul International CEO, was with us.
“Just as the vine cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the vines. He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit. Truly, without me you can do nothing,” are the words of Christ’s spiritual testament in the hall of the Last Supper with his disciples. That’s why in the Haven House, through a seminar of new evangelization based on the model of Prof. Ivančić, during the three days we had an opportunity to renew and strengthen the spiritual soul and personal relationship with God so that we could truly remain in Him and so that our faith could become effective through love and bear fruit in our work with clients. In everyday calling and mission, only human efforts and good will are not enough. It is necessary to open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit, whose grace and strength equip man in his work and action. As said by prof. Ivančić: ’21. century, the time of postmodernity, must be the century of the spirit.’ Precisely through the anthropological-spiritual approach to man, whose goal is to find man where he is and to understand him there, in the past three days we lived a time of cleansing, enlightenment and a double encounter: with ourselves and with God. Through prayer, song, Christian meditations and reflections, we became aware of the fundamental Christian truths about the triune God and the dignity of man as a person, created in the image of the Holy Trinity.
