Bengaluru: The long-felt need of a dedicated retreat center under the aegis of Bangalore Archdiocese finally saw the light of the day. Archbishop Most Rev. Dr. Peter Machado inaugurated the Divine Mercy Retreat Centre at Our Lady of Lourdes Church campus in Cambridge Layout, Halasuru at 5.30 pm on Sunday. In the days to come, prayer meetings will be conducted in the basement and the complete infrastructure will take a while for completion.
It is indeed a proud moment for the Archdiocese of Bangalore as the dream of having its own spiritual retreat center has been realized. On Sunday at 5.30 pm, the Archbishop officiated the Holy Mass and bless, inaugurate and dedicate the retreat center to the people of Bangalore Archdiocese for their spiritual growth.
In his message, Dr. Machado said, “The Divine Mercy Retreat Centre will aim at refreshing and re-energizing people from all walks of life from time to time. The retreats, conventions and different spiritual programs will provide the foundation for the faithful to absorb the various Catholic spiritualities in the practice of their faith.”
“The center will be instrumental in transforming lives to make them effective witnesses to proclaim the Gospel to others. I am sure that transformed lives bear a powerful testimony to many people to come in personal encounters with Christ and the Church. This will enable many faithful to grow in discipleship of Jesus and in providing ongoing spiritual formation,” the prelate added.
Conceptualized during the tenure of Archbishop Emeritus Most Rev Dr. Bernard Moras, the foundation stone was blessed in the year 2015 and at that time many bishops had witnessed this program. The Bangalore Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (BCCRS) of the Archdiocese of Bangalore provided ample support to the initiative. indiancatholicmatters.org
