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.

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 over 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.

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. Jesus has put it in his heart to travel all over America to organize these Divine Mercy Retreats. 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. 9, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Church

Instructor: Jolene Geier OP; cost:free-will offering

Pope John Paul II promulgated a new set of mysteries to help the faithful meditate on the public life and teachings of Jesus. This rosary retreat with meditations on the Mysteries of Light will help participants become more comfortable in praying these mysteries.

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)

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.

"Behold Your Mother," an Ecumenical Conference for Christian Unity, with an emphasis on the role of Mary in the life of all Christians, will be held Oct. 8-10, at the Quest Center in Omaha. If you have questions or would like to register, call 1-888-899-6263, or visit the website at www.beholdyourmother.org.