Testimonies

Chaos

The chaos in the Church right now! After these three days, are you going home to just wrap that mess on again? Or are you going to be part of healing her?

Jack, St. James Parish, Maine, MN

Soul

I attended the women’s Ecclesia retreat a few weekends ago in Hankinson and want to thank you for all of your good work for Christ and Mother Mary. I can’t express how wonderful this retreat was for my soul. I experienced a lot of healing in my heart that weekend and I am so grateful to God and to you and your team for being His instruments. THANK YOU!

God bless you.

Kathy, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Detroit Lakes, MN

Zeal and Sincerity

I want to thank you and the whole retreat team for all your efforts, prayers and enthusiasm in putting on the retreat for our parishes. The reviews are very good as I speak with the men. It was very uplifting for myself as a priest to see the zeal and sincerity the men have for their faith and the Lord's Church. We must unite at these times in our world. If we continue to pray and spread the Good News many more will come to fight the battle with us on the front lines in the Church. The priests need men like you. Please keep praying hard for us so that we can be holy and zealous leaders.

Fr. Aaron, Assumption/St. Anthony’s Churches

Committed Warriors

I am so very impressed with the high degree of faith and commitment you men exhibit at these special days of retreat for the men of our diocese. [I want] to acknowledge the long hours, planning, and carrying out the details and actual execution of the retreat in its parish setting.

[Let me express] openly the joy I have in the Holy Spirit just being with you... in your desire to minister to men and to each other and having true brotherhood in the Lord.

... the music is so helpful to worship, we hardly know that there is a real live person who has to make it happen. Gifts galore being poured out upon us and it is so good to see the gradual growth of brotherly love and hard work of building up the Body of Christ... as we continue to "Suffer" with and for one another in countless ways of love and service, prayer and penance (fastings and selfless giving).

I see a cohort of committed warriors rising up (like Kevin says) to take back what Satan has snatched away from our Church, our families, and from our men. God is visibly restoring His Church Militant.

Fr. Jerry

A Word

My sons, I have called you here. I desire to equip you with all you need to do my will. I will give you graces and talents to be my disciples in the world. You are precious in my sight. I love you. I desire for you to be united in my life, and hear my voice as I share with each of you my heart’s desire. You were chosen by me for this mission of being yeast to my people. Go out to be lights tin the darkness. I am with you.

Tom

Run by Regular Guys & the HS

Thank you and your team members for all the work that you do to bring back men into our Catholic faith. I was at Morris when you had your one day retreat and I must say I, along with all the men I came with were very impressed. We talked about this later and I think what impressed us the most was that it was run by regular guys ... just like us … I think this is only the beginning of something inspired by the Holy Spirit that will sweep our nation and our faith.

Earl

Lives Changed

Hi Kevin,

... So far I have been at two retreats in Little Falls and I found that there are men like myself that come because they were just simply drawn to be there by the Holy Spirit, men just going along in life as practicing Catholics until their eyes were open to HIS great love and HIS great mercy for the first time …

I have seen lives changed before my eyes at Ecclesia Domestica. This change comes directly from the Holy Spirit. There is no other way something like that can happen in just a few days’ time. Even for myself it’s been over two years now and I am still feeling the fire in my heart to serve God and to do my best to evangelize it to anyone who will listen. … I am a sinner - this is a fact - and I know the Lord still loves me in spite of that.

I just wanted you to know the Lord has placed it on my heart to share with you that Ecclesia Domestica is doing wonderful work in the hearts of the men that come in contact with it ...

God Bless you all!

John Stewart

Help on the Faith Journey

Kevin,

I wanted to tell you how grateful I am for the invitation to attend the retreat this weekend. As I transition back to our everyday life I feel empowered by the Holy Spirit. What a gift from God to be able to spend time with men of such strong Catholic faith with a love for Jesus and Mary! Any man that is looking for help on his faith journey needs to come to a retreat. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the Ecclesia Domestica team! I'm still in awe of what I was a witness to. I am a changed man! Thank you Jesus! I look forward to our next retreat and will be bringing other men with me!

Kerry Haugh

Ecclesia Domestica for my parish

The goal of the [Ecclesia Domestica] retreat is for men to grow in their faith in Jesus Christ and to be encouraged as Catholic Men to live out their beliefs and increase their prayer. … I have encouraged men from my parishes to attend this retreat, because I feel it would be beneficial to their growth in holiness.

Fr. Tom Niehaus (St. Columbanus Catholic Church, Blooming Prairie, MN)

Kevin, Paul, Kelly, Jesse and all other brothers in Christ

I feel like one of the apostles writing a letter to the Ephesians...

Follow Me... I’m Following Christ... Ecclesia Domestica!!!

I am sending this email to give you my day 1 post retreat status. I am also making sure the others on this list, and I know it is an old one, get this... plus many others that I know. I also ask that you would please forward it on to the newest BICs (Brothers in Christ), to remind them not to forget what happened this weekend, but to encourage them. Also send it to any others that you feel it would benefit.

The format, timing and length of the different events and talks provided a catalyst to bring out past and current feelings of resentment, hurt, and other negative emotions of the retreat participants and to start the healing process. It also provided for the strengthening of their existing faith and to give them courage and strength to move forward. I also want to thank KYES Radio for providing air time and a spot on their web page to promote what I think is one of the best if not the best men’s retreat that I have participated in.

I don’t know where to start, but I can tell you that my life has changed and my spirit has been greatly renewed. What turn will you make in your life that will make it easier or harder to go straight rather turn right and head HOME?

If you are truly working towards making Jesus Christ the priority in your life, I feel this is one of the best way to do that. You will come away healed, refreshed and you will have many other brothers in Christ that can help you stay on the straight and narrow path and “cover your back” so that when your time does come and you are face to face with Christ, he can say to you…. “Well done, my true and faithful servant”.

God Bless

Terry A. Kantor (retreat attender)