Who has experience with ACTS retreats?

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My diocese is quite proactive in promoting ACTS retreats. My gut feeling is that they are focused on charismatic practices. Can anyone comment, please?
 
They take your standard, run of the mill dreary teenagers and bring them back, all smiles, in matching t-shirts, singing such repedative favorites as “Yes, Lord, Yes” and hopping about the pews, arms flailing, feet stomping. And they’ll add an electric guitar to the choir.

So, Charismatic? Nah! 😛

ahem That’s just the teenage classes though. I never see the adult retreaters come back much changed. And as for either of the goings ons during the retreats themselves, I couldn’t say, for I am far too miserly to pay for a weekend questionably spent.

(And the smiles and good ol’ Christian cheer tends to have faded completely away come next Sunday)
 
Thank you for your reply. My wife is attending one this weekend. I personally consider the charismatic movement as extremely dangerous as it diverts attention away from the Eucharist and conditions attendees to see the Catholic Church as a copy cat religion. We are stewards of the Eucharist, not of having estatic fun at mass! The El Paso diocese is about to launch communion services to replace the Mass for lack of priests. My forecast is that within months the Catholic wannabe evangelical reformers will turn those services into Protestant celebrations with the Charismatics at the core. God help us!
 
I have attended one ACTS retreat as a retreatant and several more as a team member. It has been a wonderful experience allowing me to draw closer to Jesus and His Church.
I would not consider the ACTS retreat as a charismatic retreat.
I pray that your wife will be blessed by her attendence.
 
jhcooper said:
Thank you for your reply. My wife is attending one this weekend. I personally consider the charismatic movement as extremely dangerous as it diverts attention away from the Eucharist and conditions attendees to see the Catholic Church as a copy cat religion. We are stewards of the Eucharist, not of having estatic fun at mass! The El Paso diocese is about to launch communion services to replace the Mass for lack of priests. My forecast is that within months the Catholic wannabe evangelical reformers will turn those services into Protestant celebrations with the Charismatics at the core. God help us!
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Having attended an ACTS retreat, I can tell you that it is a worthwhile experience. I can’t say much about it (they asked that we not), but I can say that there is a great deal of focus on the Eucharist. There is a lot of charismatic stuff, but there is a lot of other material as well. You can have Mass, and you can have ecstatic fun, and I don’t see why you shouldn’t be ecstatically happy during Mass. I didn’t come away wanting to do a lot more hand-waving or clapping in time, but I did learn a lot and it encouraged me to spend more time in adoration. I promise you that anyone attending the retreat will not mistake it for any other denomination or religion. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to attend a retreat led by the priest who led the first one and others might be different.

The weekend is a good time away, but you will only get out of it what you are willing to put in and what you are willing to accept. Unfortunately, many of the men from our retreat lost the spark from the retreat very quickly. But there were a lot who didn’t, and a few men who were on my retreat were recently baptized and confirmed into the Church. Others who hadn’t attended Mass for decades became regulars.

I won’t say the ACTS retreat is for everyone, but it is something that I would recommend to people open to the experience.
 
I suggest that you check on the Family Life forum. There have been several long threads about this subject that you might find interesting.
 
I attended mine in June. My loving wife is attending hers next weekend.

I wish I had gone to mine 20 years ago.

It is not based on the charismatic movement.

The Holy Spirit is waiting for you though.

God is calling you.

All you have to do is say yes.

Please, do this one thing for you.

How much stuff have you done for you over the course of your life that does not have anything to do with your spiritual journey?

You, your family, your friends, people you do not know and will never know need you to go on your ACTS retreat.

Say yes.

Eddie Mac
 
at least in this diocese those persons and parishes most active in ACTS are also for the most part those most active in pro-life, in restoring Eucharistic adoration, in all parish ministry and lay apostolates, and in insistence on orthodox liturgies and catechesis in parishes. This is judging by knowledge of the parishes most involved in ACTS over the longest period of time (8-10) years. These parishes are not notably “charismatic” in character, worship or retreats and other experiences offered to parishioners. While there has been a definite change in parishes in active ministry and apostolates where ACTS has become part of parish life, the most notable and immediate change has been, in almost every parish (except one where the pastor objects) is restoration of perpetual or at least some scheduled Eucharist exposition and adoration.
 
puzzleannie said:
at least in this diocese those persons and parishes most active in ACTS are also for the most part those most active in pro-life, in restoring Eucharistic adoration, in all parish ministry and lay apostolates, and in insistence on orthodox liturgies and catechesis in parishes. This is judging by knowledge of the parishes most involved in ACTS over the longest period of time (8-10) years. These parishes are not notably “charismatic” in character, worship or retreats and other experiences offered to parishioners. While there has been a definite change in parishes in active ministry and apostolates where ACTS has become part of parish life, the most notable and immediate change has been, in almost every parish (except one where the pastor objects) is restoration of perpetual or at least some scheduled Eucharist exposition and adoration.
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Ours is the other way around. We have perpetual adoration and have had it for years. I am not certain when it started.

Our pastor is wanting to get ACTS in our parish to try and get the 80% that do nothing to become more involved.

Long row to hoe.

I just dropped my wife off at her retreat. I can’t wait to see her. S he so deserves this weekend.

Eddie Mac
 
jhcooper said:
My diocese is quite proactive in promoting ACTS retreats. My gut feeling is that they are focused on charismatic practices. Can anyone comment, please?
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ACTS is a means of getting closer to God and to allowing him into your life. There is nothing that will take any focus off of the Eucharist or lead to the dissolution of the Church as you seem to fear.

ACTS is not for everyone, but the vast majority of those whom I know have attended the retreat have had their spiritual lives greatly enhanced. It was good for me. Not great, but good. It really depends on where you are in your spiritual life and if retreats work for you.

One bit of advice for you. Your wife will most likely be on a spiritual high when she gets home, but she will probabably not discuss the retreat with you because she will be asked not to. I would suggest that you attend the men’s ACTS retreat if you really want to see what it is all about. Her telling you won’t do it.

Peace

Tim
 
jhcooper said:
Thank you for your reply. My wife is attending one this weekend. I personally consider the charismatic movement as extremely dangerous as it diverts attention away from the Eucharist and conditions attendees to see the Catholic Church as a copy cat religion. We are stewards of the Eucharist, not of having estatic fun at mass! The El Paso diocese is about to launch communion services to replace the Mass for lack of priests. My forecast is that within months the Catholic wannabe evangelical reformers will turn those services into Protestant celebrations with the Charismatics at the core. God help us!
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From some discussions I had and heard recently at an ACTS town hall meeting the rate of vocations tends to increase as the movement takes hold in an area.

Increase in vocations is not tracked by ACTS Missions but a local parish with an extremely active ACTS group has four young men in the seminary in Houston.

I met some ACTS folks from El Paso at Sea World in San Antonio while we were having dinner with Shamu. They were blessed individuals. If that is what you folks in El Paso have leading your ACTS movement you have nothing to fear.

If you have any concern for the decline of priests there is something you can do about it.

Yes, ACTS can change lives, parishes, and dioceses.

Eddie Mac
 
🙂 hi to all I just want to have friends!!
sory for my interest…
 
I don’t want to read through all of the posts, but I do want to get my two cents in. 🙂

I don’t believe that ACTS is a charasmatic retreat. I can’t say WHAT happenned, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but I will say that it was the Catholic-iest weekend of my life! 😃 It was centered around catholic teachings and practices (ie Mass, Adoration, rosary, etc) I went on retreat with St. Rose of Lima in San Antonio, Texas. This parish is known for being “on fire”, so some other retreats may fall short, but I think that the ACTS retreat, when done right, is a great, spiritual retreat that is changing lives and perceptions all the time.

I also want to shout out to the Ministry of the Third Cross, who is conducting an ACTS retreat this weekend for Kids in the Texas Youth Commission. I will be leading the music for the retreat.
These guys are going through Texas’ juvenile prison system. The retreatants for this weekend’s retreat are in a halfway house, and have volunteered to come on this retreat. Please keep the team, retreatants, and the whole ACTS program in your prayers!!!
 
Rey_Guevara said:
I don’t want to read through all of the posts, but I do want to get my two cents in. 🙂

I don’t believe that ACTS is a charasmatic retreat. I can’t say WHAT happenned, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but I will say that it was the Catholic-iest weekend of my life! 😃 It was centered around catholic teachings and practices (ie Mass, Adoration, rosary, etc) I went on retreat with St. Rose of Lima in San Antonio, Texas. This parish is known for being “on fire”, so some other retreats may fall short, but I think that the ACTS retreat, when done right, is a great, spiritual retreat that is changing lives and perceptions all the time.

I also want to shout out to the Ministry of the Third Cross, who is conducting an ACTS retreat this weekend for Kids in the Texas Youth Commission. I will be leading the music for the retreat.
These guys are going through Texas’ juvenile prison system. The retreatants for this weekend’s retreat are in a halfway house, and have volunteered to come on this retreat. Please keep the team, retreatants, and the whole ACTS program in your prayers!!!
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GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!

Eddie Mac
 
Dtmccameron said:
They take your standard, run of the mill dreary teenagers and bring them back, all smiles, in matching t-shirts, singing such repedative favorites as “Yes, Lord, Yes” and hopping about the pews, arms flailing, feet stomping. And they’ll add an electric guitar to the choir.

So, Charismatic? Nah! 😛

ahem That’s just the teenage classes though. I never see the adult retreaters come back much changed. And as for either of the goings ons during the retreats themselves, I couldn’t say, for I am far too miserly to pay for a weekend questionably spent.

(And the smiles and good ol’ Christian cheer tends to have faded completely away come next Sunday)
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Even our men come back with the" I love you" hand gestures waving away at their Sunday Mass. I try to avoid those Masses. There is WAY to much clapping and waving of the arms and hugging and electric guitars. Im really appalled at what they think is ok to do during Mass. Now, Im not taking away from the ACTS experience, I hear it is wonderful. It just shouldnt be brought to the holy sacrifice of the Mass!!
 
cat3gs said:
Now, Im not taking away from the ACTS experience,
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No, of course not. We wouldn’t want any of that ACTS stuff at a Mass.

Keep it out in the parish hall or at the retreat center. That Holy Spirit just can’t get in the way of our drudgery and lukewarmness.

Eddie Mac
 
Eddie_Mac said:
No, of course not. We wouldn’t want any of that ACTS stuff at a Mass.

Keep it out in the parish hall or at the retreat center. That Holy Spirit just can’t get in the way of our drudgery and lukewarmness.

Eddie Mac
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🙂 Hey, I love our “drudgery”. I get plenty of the Holy Spirit at Mass. I’ve got no problem with praise music and the hand gestures that go along with it. Just not at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It doesnt need anything added to it for it to become a Christ-filled, moving experience.
 
cat3gs said:
🙂 Hey, I love our “drudgery”. I get plenty of the Holy Spirit at Mass. I’ve got no problem with praise music and the hand gestures that go along with it. Just not at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It doesnt need anything added to it for it to become a Christ-filled, moving experience.
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Good for you!

I don’t like the hand gestures either, and we did not do it at our welcome home Mass.

Don’t make generalized statements about ALL of ACTS based on your limited observations, please.

Eddie Mac
 
I worship regularly with both the men and the women who lead ACTS teams in this diocese and I have never seen hand waving or anything else questionable on their part. In fact they are some of the most orthodox and reliable people among the laity who are active and influential in this diocese, and not incidentally, leaders in our pro-life movement. Neither are they given to hugs and “sharing” (at least not beyond what is culturally acceptable in this area).

I suspect this is a regional thing, and depends on how the ACTS leadership in that area has been formed.
 
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