2013 Winnipeg March for Life

Below is a short report from Angela & James Bowman who attended The 2013 Winnipeg March for Life along with other members of St. Charles Parish.

"The 2013 Winnipeg March for Life was a huge success, with 850 people attending, a dramatic increase from last year. Being there, I sensed that support for pro life issues is becoming stronger and stronger. Although marching for a serious issue, the faces of the people there were anything but. We smiled, laughed and talked with each other as we marched down Broadway to the Legislature. What a joyous experience! It was especially heartwarming to see so many young people there. Without a doubt, the pro life movement is gaining momentum. It cannot be stopped - the culture of life will defeat the culture of death."

St. Charles Retreat Centre - Chemin Neuf Community

Chemin Neuf (“new way”) Community is a Roman Catholic community with an ecumenical  vocation which grew out of a prayer group in Lyon, France in 1973.  It now has over 1,500 members in 27 countries in Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East.  

Couples, families, singles, and celibates have chosen the adventure of community life to follow Christ, poor and humble, in order to serve the church, the Gospel, and the world.  

 Some members live a common life in community houses and others live in their own homes and help with the missions of the community.  Missions  include the Cana mission for married couples, sessions for young   people, and spiritual retreats.

 The Chemin Neuf Community has a passion for unity of all kinds, especially unity among Christians. It is an apostolic community influenced both by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and by the Charismatic Renewal.

 There are currently three houses in Canada—a    parish and retreat centre in Quebec and St. Charles Retreat Centre in Winnipeg.

 The Chemin Neuf  Community came to Winnipeg in 2010 at the invitation of the Archbishop of St. Boniface.   A year later the Missionary Oblate Sisters generously donated the St. Charles Retreat Centre to the Chemin Neuf Community. The retreat house now serves as a centre for the community’s missions.  The house is also available for other Christian groups to book for meetings and retreats.  

Come away. . . rest. . .  pray. . . the community offers space for personal retreats – one day or several.

Upcoming missions of the community:

Cana: Summer Retreat for Couples and their children:   a six-day live-in session for couples to strengthen their marriage, July 7-13, 2013.   The session includes talks, prayer, time together as a couple, relaxation, and celebration.   Children stay at night with their parents but during the day follow their own program of activities.  While children are welcome, you don’t have to have children to come!  It is open to couples of any Christian denomination.   

A Year of Grace – for students and working young adults:     “. . .to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”  (Luke 4:19).  Jesus used this phrase to describe his mission.  The reference was to the Jubilee year, a special time set aside to put things right with God and neighbour, a year of grace!   The Chemin Neuf Community will offer an opportunity for a small group of young adults (18-30) to live such a time while they are students in Winnipeg or working.  It will be a time to grow in your relationship with Jesus, live together in a Christian community, better hear God’s call for future directions.  This will take place September, 2013 to April, 2014. 

For more information contact Ted & Nancy Wood StCharlesRetreat@hotmail.com or (204) 885-2260, www.chemin-neuf.org

"The generous gift of this house to the Chemin Neuf community is a huge moment that allows us to begin here in Manitoba," Ted Wood said.