ENDOW Saffers go on Retreat

By Eileen Love

This past weekend was one for the memory books! Seven of us went up to the mountains west of Vail for the first Annual ENDOW Staff Retreat. It was perfectly timed to coincide with the start of Advent. In an alpine setting, against a backdrop of gently falling snow, we were treated to a couple of days of recollection and spiritual quiet.
Father Jon Budke, LC, of Centennial, Colorado, was kind enough to drive two hours up the mountain to be the retreat director – he celebrated Mass, heard confessions and gave talks about the lay apostolate in the mission of the Church. During the talks, Father reflected with the ENDOW staff that prayer is essential to any Christian effort and he spoke about the attitudes of prayer: faith, trust, perseverance and determination. In another talk, Father spoke about the dynamics of evangelization and that it is key to meet people where they are. “You are offering them Christ,” he said, and that led to a discussion of how to share our faith with those who are tepid in their religious practice or un-churched altogether. It was a reminder of what ENDOW’s mission is: to educate women so as to help them know God better so they may love Him more.
Later on, we had our own impromptu “Theology on Tap” session – actually, it was between Sunday dinner and dessert - when we all peppered Father Jon with theological questions. These were often prefaced with “You know, this question came up in my ENDOW group…” and, “What do you think about…”
Not only did we come away with clarity on certain issues, we came away with a deeper appreciation for one another. Said Brigid Sweeney, Marketing Director, “Each person endeared herself to me.” Denise DeBartolomeis, ENDOW’s newest staff member, commented how interesting she found the mix of personalities “I’m still learning who’s who. Everyone’s so different and yet they all mesh together really well.”
ENDOW has grown immensely over the last six years, and a lot of attention has been paid to the business end of accomplishing our goals. But just as important is the on-going spiritual formation of each woman on the ENDOW team. As Father Jon made clear during the retreat, prayer and participation in the sacramental life are essential to the success of every Christian apostolate. On top of that, the weekend was fun. Terry Polakovic, ENDOW’s Executive Director said, “The retreat was fabulous! We work hard, so it was wonderful to slow down and just spend time together.”
All the ENDOW Staff would echo Terry’s sentiments. Yes, it was wonderful. We already have next year’s retreat penciled in on the calendar. Please pray for us that we may continue to serve The Lord and all of you, our sisters in Christ.