This summer, Mount St. Mary's Seminary will host three weekend retreats for adults during June and July. Members of the Mount St. Mary's community will direct the retreats, each one focusing on different themes. All retreats will be open to the public.

Father James M. Donohue, Associate Professor of Theology at Mount St. Mary's College, will direct the June 13-15 retreat, "Mark, Matthew, and Luke: Faith, Forgiveness, and Compassion." Father Donohue is a systematic theologian who specializes in sacramental theology and Christology. This retreat will begin with a short introduction to each gospel and will then explore the themes of faith in Mark, forgiveness in Matthew, and compassion in Luke. Father Donohue will use several passages from Mark, Matthew, and Luke as examples of how the themes spoke to the disciples of Jesus and continue to speak to Christians today.

The theme of the June 20-22 retreat is "Walking with God," and it will be led by Father Salvatore R. Lamendola, Director of Pastoral Field Education at Mount St. Mary's Seminary. Father Lamendola is a member of the Seminary's Executive Committee and serves as Spiritual Director and Formation Advisor to many students. This retreat will focus on the lives of believers who have developed and maintained close relationships with God, leading them to impact the world for Christ. The lives of three particular individuals will be examined: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Fathers Geno Baroni and Stanley Rother, both priest alumni of the Mount Seminary.

The third retreat, "Adoration and Liberation: Loving God and Neighbor in Today's World," will be held on July 11-13 and will be led by Father John J. Lombardi, Director and Chaplain of the National Shrine of Grotto of Lourdes. Father Lombardi is a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and currently celebrates the sacraments for visitors to the Grotto, gives spiritual talks, and provides tours of the Grotto to pilgrimage groups. This retreat will focus on prayer and service and how the saints balanced these two actions. Many examples of saintly lives will be provided, including The Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and Blessed Damien the "Leper Priest," among others. Father Lombardi will lead the retreat to focus on the words of Pope John Paul: "Let our adoration never cease!"