Members of the Legion of Mary’s Curia Spes gathered at St. Lawrence Church, Cheung Sha Wan, on August 9 for a two-hour spiritual retreat focused on deep reflection, worship, and inner healing.
Organised by the Our Lady of Salvation and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Praesidia, the gathering was centred on the theme The Prayer of Jesus – Thanksgiving. Father Gervais Baudry, IVE, led the session, urging retreatants to view prayer as an positioning of the heart towards God rather than a simple checklist of requests.
During the afternoon session, Father Baudry highlighted core pillars of Christ’s prayer life, beginning with adoration. Drawing from Matthew 6:9, he urged attendees to acknowledge God’s holiness before bringing him personal needs. “When we adore, it is not that our problems get smaller. but God gets bigger,” he told the congregation during a period of Eucharistic Adoration and praise.
The retreat also emphasised spiritual honesty and surrender. Reflecting on Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane in which Jesus said,”Not my will, but yours be done,” Father Baudry explained that bringing weaknesses into God’s light yields true freedom rather than shame. Attendees were invited to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where many experienced personal spiritual renewal and peace before the Blessed Sacrament.
Organisers described the afternoon not merely as a formal event, but as a family experience of worship and communal support. Retreatants were encouraged to adopt a posture of continuous thanksgiving in their daily lives, trusting in God’s presence, provision, and purpose.
Concluding the retreat, Father Baudry challenged the faithful to carry the lesson forward into their everyday routine: “Go home and pray like Jesus. Start with adoration. Be honest in confession. And trust the Father with everything in between.”
Ritchelle D. Mantiquilla
St. Teresa’s Church, Prince Edward
