A couple years ago, Father Tony O’Neill, pastor of St. John Neumann in Eagan, attended a retreat in Lansing, Michigan, on “healing the whole person,” hosted by the parish where his brother and sister-in-law worked. He said it was “one of the most beautiful experiences” observing people encountering God’s love in a powerful and healing way.
Because of his experience, Father O’Neill wanted to bring the retreat to his parish. He recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to describe the “Healing the Whole Person” retreat at St. John Neumann Nov. 3-5 led by staff from the Florida-based John Paul II Healing Center. Attendees can expect a series of talks, time for reflection and journaling, time in adoration and prayer ministry, he said. Father O’Neill hopes 600 to 800 people will attend, with some travelling from out of town.
Father Tony O’Neill
Healing begins in the heart, and it’s the Lord’s desire to heal, Father O’Neill said. Often, the need for healing is because of a past woundedness or failure, he said.
“We’re all broken in some sense,” Father O’Neill said, “and that brokenness stops us from fully receiving and experiencing God’s love.”
Being able to recognize that brokenness, identify its root cause and pray for healing makes a tremendous difference in people’s lives, he said.
The great fruit of the ministry is not praying for healing of things on the surface, Father O’Neill said.
“We all have sins that we fall into or difficulties in relationships, but those are really symptoms of a deeper healing that needs to happen,” he said.
Part of the conference’s purpose is trying to identify that inner brokenness and “pray into that,” he said. “The whole point is to experience life in Christ in a new and vibrant way,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
Registration with early-bird pricing opens Aug. 1 for the Nov 3-5 retreat. Livestreaming is offered in addition to in-person attendance, with two-week access to a recording of the retreat. For more information, with links to registration, venue information and a tentative schedule, visit archspm.org/events.
To hear the full interview with Father O’Neill, tune in to the 9 p.m. July 15 “Practicing Catholic” show, which repeats at 1 p.m. July 16 and 2 p.m. July 17 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Jonathan Liedl, senior editor at the National Catholic Register, who discusses Catholic journalism; and Shawn Phillips, director/pastoral minister at both Gichitwaa Kateri and the archdiocese’s Office of Indian Ministry, who describes the national Tekakwitha Conference coming to the Twin Cities next year.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired at:
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