Monday, December 20, 2010

The Six-Three Retreat Group Blog

Six-Three Group... this post is all yours! Go ahead... add your comments about upcoming and past retreats. Use it as a point of communication with other members of your retreat group. Share your experiences. And be enriched by others...

7 comments:

  1. This group lacks innovation and inspiration. It desperately needs "new blood" to bring life back into its old program. Everyyear, unfortunately, is the same old routine, with the same people sitting at the same tables telling the same old stories over and over again. It's a very cliquish
    group and if you don't belong to one of the "in" groups then it can be a very isolating weekend for you. It's a shame really because this is St. Joe's In The Hills oldest group and should be at the forefront of making each year's experience come alive for each man and leave a lasting impression that nourishes both individual faith and community development. Thankfully, there are many other groups at St. Joe's that do take upon themselves the burden of leadership and it is from these groups that we have all benefitted themost.

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  2. Unfortunately, the above comments are sad but true. I attended the Six-Three retreats for many years and they never changed. It was always the same old thing. If you are looking for dynamic, educational and enlightening speakers like Dr. Scott Hahn or Karl Keating, you won't find them here. This is a "good ole boys" retreat where men come once a year to renew their frienships and, as mentioned above, tell their stories once again. If you're in need of a sound, Spiritual retreat weekend, you may want to consider other men's retreat weekends at St. Joe's.

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  3. Wow look at that. Nobody makes a post since 2008 then all of a sudden two new visitors post within 13 minutes of each other. I think it is a bit disingenuous to intimate that you are "another" dissatisfied retreatant of Six-Three. Not sure why you feel the need to grind an axe with the "good ole boys" of Six-Three but I feel obligated to defend the group.

    I've made over a dozen retreats with this group and yes, like all of the Malvern Men's groups there is a sense of membership, family and tradition. It's by design!

    I will also tell you this, the group of men in our circle includes 2 men that showed up alone without a sponsor or recruiter and they have returned year after year to join us for their annual retreat. Additionally, I've come to know many of the regular faces at Six-Three and have enjoyed the company of many new retreatants from other circles over the years. In that sense, I find the group to be inviting and friendly, not "cliquish".

    Regarding the enlightening speakers...yes, these prominent speakers have been rare at Malvern, but some of the retreat-masters and lesser known speakers that I have enjoyed over the years have certainly delivered the Spiritual renewal that I have sought. I don't think a speaker is required to have celebrity status to offer Spiritual enlightenment.

    Some men enjoy peace and quite and an individual experience, others enjoy the company of friends and family. Some men enjoy rigid tradition and others enjoy continuous change. I don't see how framing your opinions as "this group is bad and other groups are better" is very helpful.

    I enjoy Six-Three very much and would definately support new traditions including more "dynamic" speakers such as the two you have mentioned.

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  4. I agree with everything this last guy just said...just kidding.

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  5. Be real men and post your name with your blogs.

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  6. "Be real men and post your name with your blogs." What about you?

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  7. Brothers in Christ and Fellow Men of Malvern, I've discovered the blog site tonight and posted in my Pius the X page and I would not think to advise another group on how to plan their function BUT I can say this, if allowed, Growing too comfortable in an activity tends to make it less appealing to attend and hard to promote. If the cruxt of your weekend was the splendid meal selection and seeing "Old Friends" then something may be left to be desired. Whomever the 1st anonymous is maybe rejuvinating this group is the message you were looking for, I too sometime find my self walking alone and trying to sort out the why or what but as soon as I stop to sit I am immediately welcomed into the prevailing conversations and find myself in the clique as well. WE all come searching and never leave fully content and still with questions but we ARE better for the endeavor. I might suggest getting involved for the 100th Anniv of Malvern and keep in mind that Satan is a great general and in any battle if you "Divide" it becomes easier to Conquer ! That will not happen on Our Watch!!
    Prozit!

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