It was a Sunday in the month of May, and Sergio Jiménez stood in front of a packed church at Blessed Sacrament Church, ready to make a brief invitation at the end of Mass.
Sergio, a member of the diocesan men’s retreat team “Cámbiame a Mi Señor” (“Change Me, Lord”), was there to invite the faithful to participate in a May 15-17 retreat at the Immaculate Conception Spiritual Renewal Center in Putnam, Connecticut.
With simplicity and conviction, Sergio invited other men to come to know Jesus more closely. He was sharing good news: the opportunity to grow as better Christians, fathers, sons and husbands.
His invitation reminded me of the words of Jesus before His ascension into heaven: “Peace be with you … go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). That call is still alive today, and people like Sergio help make it a reality.
The “Change Me, Lord” retreats began nearly 25 years ago as an effort of the Hispanic Ministry Office of the Diocese of Providence to invite the faithful to take that first step closer to the faith. The retreat offers an opportunity to step away from the routines of daily life, hear real-life testimonies from men whose lives have been transformed and experience a personal encounter with Jesus.
In that encounter, many discover a profound peace and receive the abundant blessings God has prepared for those who listen to His call.
Thousands of people have participated in these retreats, both men and women. As a fruit of the experience, many have become actively involved in their parishes and now serve as leaders in various ministries, offering their talents in service to the Lord.
Finding and sharing peace
This past April, about 50 men gathered for a men’s leadership retreat at Divine Redeemer Church in Boonville. Retreats like these offer men a way to grow in faith.Sergio shared how, at one point in his life, he had drifted away from the Lord, without peace or joy in his heart. Through this retreat, he was able to personally experience God’s love and mercy, finding the peace he had been searching for.
After that experience, he decided to become involved with the organizing team, made up of men from different parishes who generously offer their time, talent and treasure in service.
“I wanted to share with others what I had received, so they too could experience the love and peace that God offers us when we open our hearts to him,” Sergio said.
I was blessed to be part of the original team for several years, and I personally experienced the blessings of this ministry when I invited my father to attend the retreat more than 20 years ago. That experience helped change the direction of his life, bringing him closer to God, and he later served in the church choir for many years.
Years later, before his health declined and the Lord called him home, he had the opportunity to accompany me once again on the men’s retreat. It is an experience I still carry in my heart and remain grateful to have shared with him.
For several months now, a committed group of 15 men on the team has been preparing every detail so participants can experience a blessed weekend capable of becoming a turning point in their lives.
All men over the age of 18 are welcome to participate and experience this beautiful retreat: a different kind of weekend to share with others, reflect on the direction of their lives and grow – with God’s help – into better fathers, sons and husbands.
Where the mission lives
I remember the words of a priest friend, Father Bob Beirne, who is now retired and, even at 92 years old, continues serving by celebrating Masses. On several occasions he told me, “Every time I visit a parish with a Hispanic community, I see so much life, so many families and so many opportunities to grow in faith.”
As Pope Leo XIV recently reminded us, the Church grows when it goes out to encounter others with hope and love. That evangelizing mission remains alive today in our Hispanic communities.
It was beautiful during that meeting to witness the fruits of the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic Ministry through a spirit of collaborative pastoral work. I saw a living Church, serving with great dedication to fulfill Jesus’ call before His ascension into heaven: “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
Silvio Cuéllar is a writer, liturgical music composer and journalist who formerly was coordinator of the Diocese of Providence’s Hispanic ministry office and editor of its newspaper, El Católico de Rhode Island.