Morning / Afternoon of Reflection
Morning/Afternoon of Reflection is a 4/8 hour event that revisits the themes of the retreat weekend. It is intended as either a pre-Journey parish-wide event to encourage participation or a post-Journey weekend event to encourage continued engagement, or both. This event can also be done as a multi-parish activity. Men and women can be invited to the same event and spouses are welcomed.
The best practice for Morning/Afternoon of Reflection is to offer the experience to grade school parents or after your parish has delivered Journey to team 5 or higher. Grade school parents are often encouraged to attend the retreat before their child receives First Communion. Once your parish has crossed the 5 team benchmark, it is suggested to schedule this event yearly in late February, being careful to avoid the first Saturday of Lent (as many parishes have events on the first Saturday of Lent that you would be competing with).
For parishes offering the Morning/Afternoon of Reflection to grade school parents, we recommend combining content from Year A – Eucharist and Year C – Reconciliation and it is recommended using the morning agenda from Year C and the afternoon agenda from Year A.
For parishes launching Morning/Afternoon of Reflection post-Journey weekend event, we have split the agendas and themes into years A,B,C to match the liturgical year. If your parish feels called to go in a different order based on the offered themes, feel free to go in the order that would be most fruitful for your group.
Handouts and References
Morning/Afternoon of Reflection Facilitator Guide - Year A - Eucharist
Morning/Afternoon of Reflection Facilitator Guide - Year B - Discipleship
Morning/Afternoon of Reflection Facilitator Guide - Year C - Reconciliation
Invitation Tools