Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2025 Lenten Retreat. A special thank you to Father Ken Wolfe who served as our Retreat Master.
The EOHSJ Knights and Dames of the Diocese of Tucson held a Lenten Retreat on April 12, 2025, at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona. Father Ken Wolfe, Associate Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church served as our Retreat Master. The theme of this years Lenten Retreat was “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Father Ken asked all attendees to read “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri Nouwen.
The Return of the Prodigal Son
The parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11–32, tells the story of a father and his two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance early, leaves home, and squanders it on rekless living. When he faces hardship, he decides to return to his father, repentant and willing to be treated as a servant. However, his father welcomes him back with open arms, celebrating his return with a feast.
The older son, who has remained loyal and hardworking, becomes upset at the father’s generosity toward his brother. The father explains that the celebration is because the younger son was “lost and is found,” emphasizing forgiveness, unconditional love, and redemption.
This parable illustrates God’s boundless grace and mercy, showing that no matter how far one strays, they can always return to Him.
The retreat began with Mass in Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Chapel. The Gospel of the day was John 11:45-46. After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, the reactions among the people are varied. Many people who witnessed the miracle believed in Jesus, recognizing His divine power. However, some people went to the Pharisees to report what had happened, setting the stage for the growing opposition against Jesus. This moment highlights the contrasting responses of faith and disbelief, even in the face of extraordinary events. In his Homily, Father Ken spoke of the good works of the EOHSJ in the Holy Land. Special thanks to Deacon Sir Ken McNealy for assisting with the Mass and to Dame Sister Lois and Dame Ana Sanguineti for leading us in music.
The Retreat, the day before Palm Sunday, was a perfect beginning to Holy Week. Father Ken shared that the Lenten Season urgently calls each of us to conversion and a return to God as we encounter the Eucharist.
An Inspiring Image
The Return of the Prodigal Son, a painting by Rembrandt, would provide the foundation for the day’s discussion. Like the Prodigal Son, we often leave home. To fill the void in our restless lives we have gone “deaf” to the calling of God. We leave home every time we stray from the faith. Lent is a time to come home. Father Ken asked what do you see when you look at the Rembrandt painting of the Prodigal Son? A cadaver, one shoeless foot, the father’s hands, etc.
In verse twenty-five the father reminds the elder son “that you are always with me all that I have is yours.” The parable of the compassionate father could be an alternate title. The hardest conversion is for the son who stayed home. What results in more damage? Lust or resentment. It is easier to return home from joy than it is from anger. We cannot save ourselves; we need the grace of the Lord. With God all things are possible. What makes the return possible? Trust in the conviction that the father wants us home. Metanoia is a Greek term meaning “change of mind” or “repentance”. In Christian theology, it signifies a profound transformation—turning away from sin and towards God. Father Ken, quoting Monsignor Greg Adolf, “that Holiness is based on awareness of how far we are away from the father.”
When people are asked what do you focus on in the painting – most people respond with the hands of the father on the elder son. The right hand is soft and tender while the left hand is strong and firm. Whose hands has God used to communicate that you are safe? As we look at the painting, we do not know what is in their hearts. A foundation of our Catholic faith is that God chooses us, we do not choose him.
Fatherhood is a cycle of grief, forgiveness, and generosity. A little bit of light can dispel the darkness. The Return of the Prodigal Son is all about Joy! God rejoices because one of his children has returned home.
Thank you to Sir David Orr and Dame Mary Carmen Cruz-Orr for coordinating this event.
