IMAGO DEI 2010 WEEKEND RETREAT
We haven't hosted a weekend retreat since 2008 primarily due to the fact that Lake Mead Lodge closed its doors. We are looking at other locations in the area to host our next retreat. It does look like we'll move our retreat from the Spring to the Fall. We hope to have more information soon.
2008 6th ANNUAL RETREAT
On March 28, 2008, 40 people gathered at Lake Mead Lodge for a weekend retreat sponsored by Imago Dei: Gay & Lesbian Catholic Ministries of Southern Nevada. In addition to those from the Las Vegas area, there were others from six other states including: California, Washington, Arizona, Idaho and Louisiana. The theme of the weekend – inspired by the game show – was, “Jesus: Deal, No Deal.”
Imago Dei held their first retreat in 2003 and had only been attended by about a dozen local people until this year. “We were amazed by the response we got,” says Charles O’Neill, Director of Imago Dei. “People kept contacting me about the retreat and I was worried we’d run out of rooms.” There was plenty of room and the Imago Dei Leadership Team was ecstatic at the turnout.
Sometimes the faith walk of a gay man or woman is a lonely one and a welcoming community is difficult to find. Consider the story of one young man (Vincent) from Louisiana who found the retreat through the internet. Vincent said, “It had been a long search and I am glad and excited that I have found it. Since the first day of the retreat, I was welcomed with an open arm and smiles from men and women of different ages and races, who have one thing in common: we are gay and we know that we are loved by God.” He added, “I was able to experience some of the biggest laughs of my life and know that I am not alone despite the long distance…This retreat may be seen as a mustard seed in the desert, literally, but has bloomed into the biggest and best tree one will ever find.”
Not everyone came by themselves; ten people mostly from Santa Monica rented a van to get to the retreat. The Archdiocesan Gay & Lesbian Outreach (AGLO) is very active there and they hold an annual retreat but the site they had booked became unavailable. They contacted Charles and asked if they could invade the retreat. “The energy and spirit each person brought to this retreat was a ‘shot in the arm’ to our group here,” says O’Neill, “because we see that there are others like us who still embrace their faith.” As the weekend ended, each person was challenged to invite one more person to next year’s retreat.
A retreat like this just doesn’t happen, it takes a lot of hard work from many people. Fr. Tony Vercellone co-led the retreat and spoke to the group as well as being available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Sunday Mass. Grace DePass, the other co-leader who holds a Masters in Theology, came up with the weekend's theme. She focuses on Spiritual Direction with gays & lesbians and that’s because her brother and a niece are gay; her brother flew from Seattle to participate. Charles’ mother even drove down from Boise to cook for the weekend and she has done so since 2005.