ARDEN — More than 70 people gathered for prayer and reflection at the 10th annual East Meets West Retreat June 23-24 at St. Barnabas Church in Arden.
Now in its 10th year, the retreat is hosted by Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke Ukrainian Catholic Mission, which meets at St. Barnabas Church. This year’s retreat was led by Dr. Matthew K. Minerd, who gave a lecture and workshops on the theme “Living a Life in Christ.”
“The Lord’s glory is meant to be our glory,” Minerd explained. “And to live in the Lord’s glory, we must purify ourselves of the passions and live a sacramental life, which opens us to the grace of God.”
A widely published philosopher and theologian, Minerd is professor of philosophy and moral theology at Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh, Pa., and head of the graduate philosophy program at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. He based his talks on his recently published book “Made By God, Made For God: Catholic Morality Explained,” now available from Ascension Press.
In explaining how we can live in the Lord’s glory, Minerd developed three themes using passages from the Gospels, the epistles of St. Paul, writings of saints and theologians, and short eastern Christian hymns called “troparia.” These themes included: To live a moral life is to live in Christ; to live in Christ requires us to purify ourselves through fasting and prayer, to deny ourselves, so that we can be filled with grace and the light of Christ; and eternity begins now, in this life.
In addition to these lectures, participants spent time in prayer and reflection, singing traditional Eastern prayers, the “Compline” and the “Akathist to the Mother of God,” sixth-century hymns attributed to St. Romanus the Melodist.
The retreat and prayers were led by Father Kevin Bezner, administrator of Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, with assistance from Deacon Matthew Hanes of St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Charlotte, Deacon Michael Sudik of St. Sophia Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Garner, and Cantor Ann Bezner of Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke Mission.
For more information about the annual East Meets West Retreat or Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke Mission, go to www.saintbarnabasarden.org or email Father Kevin Bezner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Catholic News Herald