Every January, our retreat house, Queen of Apostles in Mississauga, hosts our community retreat. From the farthest corners of Canada, from Vancouver to Quebec City, from Taloyoak in the Arctic to the Greater Toronto Area in southern Canada, all the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate from Assumption Province gather in this centre under the patronage of the Queen of Apostles, our Patroness and Mother, to renew themselves spiritually and spend time together in prayer and community.

This year's retreat is exceptionally Polish in style, thanks to the retreat master, Fr. Wojciech Popielewski, OMI, Provincial of the Polish Province. For some of us, he is a seminary classmate, for the younger ones, a former formator and professor at the seminary, but these days he is above all a spiritual guide on our several-day journey of renewal.

The theme of our retreat are the words from the doxology – “through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ” – pondered in the context of our Oblate life and the realization of our charism.

An important event celebrated during this retreat is the 200th anniversary of the approval of our Constitutions and Rules. Almost the entire Assumption Province, nearly 50 Oblates, together with invited priests, celebrated a jubilee mass presided by His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo of the Archdiocese of Toronto, in the presence of our parishioners, thanking God for the gift of the Oblate charism handed on to us in the Constitutions and Rules.

Strengthened in spirit and enriched by the great Oblate community, we are grateful to Fr. Wojciech for accompanying us during these few days of retreat and community celebration. May the Immaculate Mother of our Congregation intercede for him and for all of us for the graces we need.

(TJ/DJ; photos TJ, Joanna Chramega, Kacper Bronowicki, fr. Zbigniew Halemba OMI)