Personal Encounter with Jesus: The root of spiritual transformation and commitment for mission
The scriptures and our Christian (Catholic) tradition reveal many instances of people’s transforming experiences through personal encounters with Jesus. Given the nature of the crisis of faith and the negativities in our world today, there is overwhelming need for us as heaven-bound pilgrims to enter the desert to have a special chat and a transforming encounter with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This retreat will, among other things, utilize practical resources of our church tradition including the scriptures and the Eucharist to lead us into personal and transforming encounters with the Lord. Come, let’s enter the desert with Jesus and experience him too.
Friends Day of Prayer retreats are held monthly on the first Wednesday of the month. Everyone is welcome to attend and you can drop into any month. It’s not required to attend every retreat. Everyone will gather for coffee and pastries for the first half hour. Rev. Ferdinand Ezenwachi will give a morning presentation, and then celebrate Mass in the Chapel before lunch. A delicious lunch will be served and then Rev. Ferdinand will give an afternoon presentation. Free time will be offered to walk the labyrinth, spend quiet time in prayer or shop in the bookstore.
Reverend Ferdinand Ezenwachi, MDiv, Psy.D, LCPC, is a Catholic Priest with over twenty-one years of experience in church ministry, leadership, and human services. He served as a pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church Ukawu at his homeland Nigeria for four years prior to coming to the United States in 2007 for further studies and mission. In the United States, he served as the Associate Pastor at St. John’s Roman Catholic Church in Columbia, Maryland for 14 years and he is currently serving at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Bel Air, MD. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Master of Divinity, both from Pontifical Urban University, Rome.
Following his passion to not only be a preacher of the word and sacrament, Rev. Ezenwachi further pursued clinical degrees to help him fulfill his passion to help the needy, especially the mentally ill. He holds a master’s degree and certificate of advanced studies in clinical mental health, both from Loyola University Maryland. He also holds a Doctorate of Psychology Degree from Theological Foundation in Indiana.