Spiritual Activities & Retreats
The Federal Association has always emphasized the development of the spirituality of its members around the country. Every year there is the magnificent Investiture Mass and ceremony in Washington and the weekend spiritual retreats in January, October, and November. There is also a Lenten Evening of Reflection and a Day of Reflection, both in the Washington-area; and there is the annual Lourdes Reunion, held each year in Baltimore.
Federal Association members in several cities gather to celebrate the Feast of St. John the Baptist, and a Memorial Mass for Deceased Members is held each year in several cities nationwide.
In September, members of the Federal Association gather in several cities nationwide to celebrate the Mass for the Sanctity of Life. The readings, responses, and intercessions will be the same at all the Masses; and the hope is that hundreds of our Knights and Dames will be attending the same Mass (in their robes) saying the same prayers at roughly the same time all over the country.
Additionally, our members meet for Mass once a month in several cities.
In keeping with the Order's charism of serving the poor and the sick, the Association sponsors a Mass for the Sick in Washington, Northern Virginia, and Kansas City. In Dallas, members assist with the Diocesan Mass for the Sick and Disabled.
Retreats and Days of Reflection
Each year, hundreds of Knights, Dames, and candidates (and their spouses) make one of our weekend retreats or attend one of our mini retreats or Day of Reflection in several locations nationwide. There are four weekend retreats (listed below), and each include Mass each day, opportunity to make confession, 4-5 presentations by the retreat director, and plenty of time set aside for silent reflection.
In 1999, the Federal Association began its "Day of Reflection Series" with a daylong program at the Washington Theological Union. The topics ("Spirituality in the Workplace", "The Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual Effects of Aging", "Marriage - A Call to Spiritual Growth", "On Prayer", "Social Justice and the Order of Malta", "The Order of Malta and Service to the Sick and the Poor") are designed to have our members really think about their Catholic faith and how it applies to these modern and complex questions.
Weekend Retreats
Annual Florida Retreat - (Jan 18 - 20, 2008)
Marywood Retreat Center, Jacksonville, FL
http://www.marywoodcenter.org
Rev. Philip Lowe, Ph.D.
Spring Retreat - (Jun 7 - 8, 2008)
St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, MD
Rev. Timothy Kulbicki, OFM Conv
Fall Retreat - (Oct 31 - Nov 2, 2008)
University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelin, IL
www.usml.edu
Rev. Richard Fragomeni-retreat director
Western Pennsylvania Retreat (all invited) - (Nov 7 - 9, 2008)
St. Vincent’s Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Rev. Mark Gruber, OSB - retreat director
Days/Evenings of Reflection
Lenten Evening of Reflection (Feb 7, 2008)
Church of the Annunciation, Washington, DC
Very Rev. David O’Connell - celebrant & speaker
Federal Association Day of Reflection (Apr 19, 2008)
Washington Theological Union