Supporting Priests in Person and Virtually

For over a decade, the St. Paul Center has hosted annual conferences serving and supporting the spiritual and intellectual needs of our priests. In the past two years, we’ve had the blessing to grow our outreach to two yearly retreats serving over 400 priests from around the world.  

When COVID-19 hit, we weren't sure if we would be able to hold our longest-standing retreat, the Priest Conference East, where priests for years have come to appreciate a week of prayer and relaxation deeply rooted in Scripture. We were excited for this year to be one of our best yet.

With quarantine and social distancing guidelines limiting the number of people at events, not to mention the difficulty of traveling during these uncertain times, the state of our conference was in question. Our priests were also facing their own uncertainty—after so much upheaval in their parishes, all their time was devoted to best serving their parishioners and ministries.  

But we weren’t giving up that easily. There were already priests registered who needed and deserved a week to refuel and reconnect with the Lord in Scripture and the sacraments, in order to face the mighty challenges presented by COVID. We were committed to hosting as many priests as could make it. Even if it was a small group, supporting any number of our spiritual fathers during this time was our strongest desire. 

And thanks to the generous help from donors, from those praying for us, and from those working with us at Oglebay, we are exceedingly happy to announce that the Priest Conference East is still taking place. 

We’ve worked carefully with Oglebay and the state of West Virgina to ensure the safety of all our priests, staying within the guidelines for social distancing and large gatherings. We’ve overcome unforeseen financial challenges thanks to your generous gifts. Now, we’re able to again give spiritual renewal, theological and scriptural formation, and authentic brotherhood to over 100 priests. This is a true blessing, considering the circumstances. 

The Priest Conference East is happening right now, thanks to you. And we've also extended our reach across the world with Scripture and the Sacred Mysteries, a virtual conference for all priests who are unable to attend in person and for lay people longing to refresh their spiritual life. Registration is open now.