RELIGIOUS RETREATS

Photo of laymen's retreat on April 21-23, 1933. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

Religious Retreats. The first formal religious retreat in Iowa territory was recorded in a letter written on June 8, 1841 by Bishop Mathias LORAS when he met with his eight missionary priests in the cathedral. For many years, retreats were limited to priests, religious leaders, and students in Catholic schools. In 1873 Bishop John HENNESSY moved the diocesan seminary to the present location of St. Joseph's Hall at LORAS COLLEGE. It was there that the first organized retreat for laymen was ended in June, 1911.

The June retreat for laymen was continued through modern times. It became a tradition to have the lay retreat on the weekend after the retreat for priests. When it was necessary to have two retreats for priests, the lay retreat was held between the two and usually by the same retreat master.

It was natural that the college should sponsor the retreat. A member of the faculty became the chaplain or spiritual director of the organization called The Laymen's Retreat Association. Annually a layman was chosen President, but in 1935 it became a two-year term. The combination of secretary and treasurer was a more permanent office.

Although the monastery of New Melleray was established in 1849, it was not until 1928 when a guest house was completed that retreats were held there. In 1931, The Most Rev. Francis J.L. BECKMAN appointed the Rev. William H. Schulte as the first archdiocesan director of retreats. In October, 1931 retreats sponsored by the Laymen's Retreat Association began at the monastery. A regional retreat convention was held in Dubuque in 1935. In March, 1937 the quarterly publication The Retreatant was started.

The Dubuque unit of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women began sponsoring retreats at the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION ACADEMY in 1948. In addition to retreats sponsored by the Laymen's Retreat Association, the monastery held a series of retreats on their own. In 1949 Father Schulte, who helped begin the Cedar Falls, Iowa retreat project, became the Secretary of the National Catholic Laymen's Retreat Conference.

In 1960 the ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE held its Golden Jubilee of lay retreats. It was recorded that the best year had been 1955 when 1079 men and 704 women were involved.

In 1982 pollster George Gallup, Jr. reported that half of all teenagers expressed an interest in attending a religious retreat. He found this to be part of the increasing interest in Bible study among teenagers nationwide. (1) Farm Survival Meetings, religious retreats and one-on-one sessions were also means of helping farmers during the "farm crisis." (2)

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Source:

1. "Good News, Bad News in Trends," Telegraph Herald, July 2, 1982, p. 3

2. Hendricks, Mike. "Help Available if Time Comes to Leave the Farm," Telegraph Herald, October 14, 1984, p. 18