Fr. Joseph Matitu, SSS
My dear people of St. Joseph, in a few days, from September 14 to 17, the clergy of our Diocese of Pueblo will step away from the noise, the demands, and the unending responsibilities of ministry. We will gather at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs — yes, your priests, your pastors, your deacons, your spiritual fathers — and go up the mountain like tired disciples seeking the face of the Lord. And I want to tell you, from the depths of my own heart, why this matters and why your prayers matter even more.
There are moments in priesthood/deaconate when the soul becomes thin, when the weight of people’s suffering settles heavily on our shoulders. When the constant giving, the constant listening, the constant pouring-out begins to drain the very well from which we preach, bless, forgive, and love. A clergy retreat is not a vacation. It is not a break. It is a lifeline. It is the place where a priest goes to remember why he said yes, who called him, and for whom he serves. It is the sacred pause where God whispers again, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”
But here is the truth that moves me deeply: a priest never goes on retreat alone. He carries his parish with him. He carries your faces, your stories, your struggles, your hopes. He carries your prayers like oil that keeps the lamp burning. And I say this with trembling sincerity — your prayers sustain us more than you will ever know. When you pray for your clergy, you strengthen the hands that bless you. You steady the hearts that preach to you. You lift the spirits that intercede for you day after day.
So, as we enter these days of silence and renewal, I ask you, St. Joseph Parish, to stand with your priests. Pray that the Holy Spirit will break through our fatigue. Pray that Christ will rekindle our zeal. Pray that the Father will speak a fresh word into our hearts — one that will return to you as renewed love, renewed service, renewed joy.
We go to the mountain because you send us with your prayers. And we will return to you because God is not finished with us yet.
Fr. Joseph