Retreat and Pilgrimage

This was a very active week for us at L'Arche Harbor House.  Tuesday we went on retreat at Shepard of the Woods, a beautiful venue surrounding a lake, owned by the Lutheran Church.  On Thursday we drove to St. Augustine on pilgrimage, beginning the day in the chapel of the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph.  We welcomed our newest core member, Jack.  We prayed for him and wished him happiness and peace in his new home at Peace House.

Previously, Jack, who is non-verbal and autistic, lived in an atmosphere of intimidation and abuse.  His family wished to send him to L'Arche, but at the time, we had no accommodations and had to say "no".  However, in the spirit of Jean Vanier, who started the Movement with nothing but a small house with no plumbing nor electricity, "no" was not the answer God had in mind.  So accommodations were made by moving people around and dividing rooms, and doing anything necessary so that Jack could be safe.

Next we walked the grounds of Mission Nombre de Dios and the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Leche y Buen Parto – Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery.  On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed and proclaimed this site for Spain and the Church. This is where western culture and Christian faith took root in our country. From there, we boarded a river cruise to the inlet and up the Matanzas River, where the porpoises came out to play just for us.