If you were not able to experience our 2012 St. John Parish Retreat in person, you can still listen to each session on this page. See the sections below to play or download the audio file for a particular session of the retreat.
If you would like more resources from Fr. Mike Scully, you can visit his website: www.frmikescully.com. If you would like to ask Fr. Mike a question or arrange a time to meet with him, he can be reached by email at .
Day One
Introductory Homily
Fr. Mike spoke at each Mass prior to the start of the parish retreat. He described the inherent problem of ignoring the obvious, impending dangers in our lives, using the song “The Rock” by Harry Chapin to frame his discussion.
(This session is approximately 15 minutes in length.)
You can hear Fr. Mike’s homily here:
And you can see a YouTube video of Harry Chapin’s song “The Rock” here:
Afternoon Session: For Parents/Grandparents of Middle/High School Students
In this session geared towards parents and grandparents of teenagers, Fr. Mike describes ten things every parent should know about their teenager.
(This session is approximately 1 hour and 17 minutes in length.)
You can hear the session here:
You can see a YouTube video of Avril Lavigne’s song “I’m With You” here:
And you can see a YouTube video of John Mayer’s song “Daughters” here:
Evening Session: Your Life Should Include the Presence of God
The goal of the spiritual life is to make God a true force in our lives. We are required to make a real effort in order to accomplish it. In particular, we have to choose to follow God by re-writing our maps of reality to include God more in our lives. Christians choose Jesus Christ to be their guide as they bring about God’s presence.
(This session is approximately 58 minutes in length.)
You can hear the session here:
You can see a YouTube video of Kelly Clarkson’s song “Dark Side” here:
And you can see a preview of Spider-Man 3 here:
Day Two
The Challenge of Our Modern Day to the Presence of God
As we speak of the presence of God, the major problem we encounter is selfishness. We must discover that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives and that even though we are “wounded people,” the grace of God will never let us down. Our discussion will include both the reality of our selfish desires and how to overcome them.
(This session is approximately 48 minutes in length.)
You can hear the session here:
You can see a preview of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas here:
And you can see a preview of The Karate Kid here:
Day Three
The Future of the Presence of God in our Lives
Christians always have a basic hope in the future because they can do things in order to insure the presence of God. Our discussion will include the top ten helps to lead a spiritual life, addressing specifically the way your spiritual life can be right now.
(This session is approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes in length.)
You can hear the session here:
You can see a YouTube video of Katy Perry’s song “Firework” here: