Priests from across the Archdiocese are gathering in Kananaskis from September 7–11 for the annual Priests’ Spiritual Retreat, a time of prayer, reflection, fraternity, and spiritual renewal.
This year’s retreat will be led by Most Rev. Erik Varden, Bishop of the Diocese of Trondheim, Norway, who will guide the priests through the theme “Priestly Transformation in Christ.” In February, Pope Leo XIV selected Bishop Varden to preach at a week-long Lenten spiritual retreat for the Pope and the Roman Curia.
The Kananaskis retreat offers priests an opportunity to step away from the demands and responsibilities of parish ministry and to renew their relationship with Christ, reflect on their vocation, and strengthen their commitment to serving God’s people.
Each day includes Morning Prayer, Mass, spiritual conferences, Evening Prayer, meals together, and opportunities for silent prayer and personal reflection. The various deaneries will take turns coordinating the community’s prayer and liturgical celebrations throughout the retreat.
Among the topics Bishop Varden will explore are “The Mission of a Priest,” “Does it Still Make Sense to ‘Pursue Perfection’?”, “Risks of Ministry,” “Towards Some Useful Safeguards,” “Bearing One Another’s Burdens,” and “Staying Grounded in the Truth.”
The retreat will also include a film viewing with Bishop Varden, silent prayer, silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, and a penitential celebration with opportunities for individual reconciliation.
The final day will focus on the theme “Consider Your Call” (1 Cor 1:26) before the priests celebrate Mass together and share lunch before beginning their journeys home.
Bishop Erik Varden is a Norwegian Catholic bishop, writer, and former Trappist monk. Born in South Norway in 1974, he was raised in a non-practising Lutheran family before becoming Catholic in 1993.
He studied theology and religious studies at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, later earning a doctorate from Cambridge and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome.
In 2002, he entered Mount St Bernard Abbey, a Trappist monastery in Leicestershire, England. He made his solemn profession in 2007 and was ordained a priest in 2011. He subsequently taught Syriac language, monastic history, and Christian anthropology at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome.
In 2015, he was elected the eleventh Abbot of Mount St Bernard Abbey. In 2019, Pope Francis appointed him prelate of the Territorial Prelature of Trondheim. He was ordained a bishop on October 3, 2020, at Nidaros Cathedral and became Bishop of Trondheim.
Bishop Varden is also an accomplished author whose writings explore Christian spirituality, monasticism, prayer, and the Christian life. His monastic background and experience as a priest, abbot, bishop, teacher, and writer bring a rich perspective to this year’s retreat theme of priestly transformation in Christ.
Beyond the conferences and liturgical celebrations, the retreat provides priests with an important opportunity to spend time together away from their usual pastoral responsibilities. Shared meals, prayer, silence, and reflection create space for fraternity and encouragement among the clergy.
Please keep all of our priests in your prayers as they gather for this time of spiritual renewal and reflection.
Sign up for The WINDOW, the weekly electronic bulletin with news from the Archdiocese of Edmonton.
