The Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Celebration will be at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe at 3 p.m., Sunday. Oct. 24. Couples celebrating 10, 25, 40, 50 and more than 50 years of marriage in 2004 will be honored and will renew their marriage vows at the Sunday Eucharist with Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore officiating. A light meal will follow the liturgy in the Holy Family Social Center. Family and friends of the couples are invited to share in the celebration. Pastors have been asked to obtain the names of couples in their parishes who are observing these anniversaries. The names will be sent to the Office of Liturgy and Worship, and invitations will be mailed to each couple with an RSVP.

The "Called and Gifted" Workshop helps lay Catholics discern the unique work of love to which God is calling them. Make plans to attend Oct. 29-30 at St. Dominic Church in Garden City.

Professionals from the Catherine of Siena Institute, headquartered in Colorado Springs, will lead the presentation. Topics include the process of discernment, the nature of spiritual gifts, Church teaching on the laity and lay apostleship, and more. Participants will receive a 60-page copy of the Catholic Spiritual Gifts Inventory. In addition, an optional one-on-one interview with a trained discernment interviewer is available to participants.

More than 10,000 Catholics in more than 40 dioceses have attended the workshops. One workshop participant said, "For me, the idea that I stand in the place of Jesus in my life – in encounters with my family, my friends, my little daughter – has been revolutionary. Until now, I’ve thought only that I am unfit to wash those biblical sandals… Now it seems I am to put them on and walk as though they fit."

Register by Oct. 22 by contacting St. Dominic Parish, 615 JC St., Garden City, KS 67846, or by calling (620) 276-2024. The workshop runs 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Oct. 29, and 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 30. Lunch is provided. There is no charge for the workshop, but a free-will offering will be accepted.

Coming Oct. 15-16 at St. Mary Church in Marienthal, will be a Divine Mercy Retreat with Msgr. Joseph W. James, Sister Sharon Nolte, and Scott Scaria.

Msgr. James has been director of the Mercy Retreat Center, Slaton, Texas since 1990. Many who have experienced the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Msgr. James have experienced deep spiritual healing and abundant blessings. He is in much demand and is traveling to many retreats and seminars in order to make himself available to administer the Sacraments. He will be available to hear confessions Saturday, Oct. 16.

Sister Sharon Nolte has been with the Sisters of Divine Providence, St. Louis, Missouri for the past 40 years. She is involved in healing and deliverance ministries. She has been blessed with a gift of healing, whether it is spiritual, physical, emotional, or social.

Scott Scaria travels with Msgr. James and Sister Nolte to tell others about Divine Mercy in his life. A free will offering will be accepted.

St. Mary Church, Marienthal

Friday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m. Mass of healing

Saturday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. St. Mary School

Light lunch provided

7:30 p.m. Mass in Leoti

Sunday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. Mass in Marienthal

Coffee and rolls after Mass

10:30 a.m. Mass in Tribune

Participants may attend all or part of the retreat. For more information call St. Mary Church office Tuesdays or Fridays, (620) 379-4427 or Deb Smith (620) 379-4642.

Saturday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m.– Noon

Instructor: Ann Showalter M. Div.

Cost is $15.

This class will direct attention to the pervasive nature of loss throughout life, discuss the responses to loss, explore factors affecting the grieving process and present several models for working through grief. The workshop provides opportunity for group interaction.

Thursdays, Noon-1p.m.

Instructor:

Philip St. Romain D. Min.

Cost: $10 – lunch included (pre-register for meals)

The famous trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkein presents an epic struggle between good and evil. The lecture reflects on Tolkein’s view of evil, how it spreads to engulf entire populations, and how it is resisted and eventually defeated. Comparisons will be made with Christian approaches to this topic.

Recent surveys show that more Christians than ever believe that they have had a previous life. Other world religions such as Hinduism accept reincarnation as a given. This lecture will explore the topic from different angles, attempting to clarify the relationship between reincarnation and Christian beliefs.

What is New Age Spirituality? Is it compatible with Christian beliefs? Can Christians make beneficial use of practices associated with the New Age? These are the questions to which this lecture will respond.

Oct. 29-30; Friday 7p.m. – Saturday 4 p.m.

Instructor:

Philip St. Romain D. Min.

Cost: $45 (includes overnight lodging and meals)

This overnight retreat provides an opportunity to get away for a short while, to let someone else do the cooking and dishes, and to provide an opportunity to listen for God’s guidance in an environment of silence. Short presentations and meditative exercises will help support this sacred listening.