The statue of the Sacred Heart welcomes the participants to the retreat house.	Members of the Junior Legion gather in conference room with Fr. Perez.
Orlando Farase makes a reading for Mass.	Breakfast in the dining room.
Retreatants took turns presenting the spiritual reading for each meal.	Dinner in the dining room.
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The Stations of the Cross are located on trees throughout the yard.	The members of the group pray the stations of the Cross in the yard.

Fr. Perez stands by the gazebo preparing for the Stations of the Cross at night.	Participants gather in conference room.

Fr. Perez and Frank Castro in the dining room.	Sr. Theresa compares notes with Dr. Hyland in the parlor after the retreat.
Mother Rose Marie and Rose Sodusta enjoy a visit after the retreat.	Fr. Perez and Sr. Jane de Chantal in the Choir as the procession returns from the cemetery.

ANNUAL LEGION OF MARY RETREAT

by Fr. Hector R. G. Perez, S.T.D.

In accord with the Legion of Mary Handbook, each year, usually in early November, the Pensacola Comitium of the Legion of Mary has a silent preached retreat at the Monastery of the Sacred Heart in Mobile. Legionaries look forward to these two and half day each year. It is a time of prayer, learning and peace. It affords Legionaries from many parishes (and even Dioceses) to meet each other and get to know one another.

For the last few years the Retreat Master for these retreats has been the Spiritual Director of this Comitium, Fr.Hector R. G. Perez. Father is a Pontifical (Papal) doctor in Sacred Theology and other sciences and is a well known speaker. The Retreat includes: about six conferences; Rosary in the morning and evening; all-night Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. On both Friday evening (by flashlight or candlelight) and Saturday afternoon, the Legionaries pray the outdoor Stations of the Cross. The Sacrament of Penance is also offered to those who want it. In short, it is a time of great spiritual potential and growth.

The retreat concluded with the consecration of the monastery cemetery by Fr. Perez, assisted by Dr. Richard Hyland and Christopher Seeker. Frank Castro and Sr. Theresa took the photographs. Dr. Hyland almost single-handedly made and inserted more than one hundred handsome grave markers engraved with the name of each sister and the dates of her birth and death. The large cross marks the burial of the remains of the thirty-five sisters who died prior to 1898 and had been moved to the present cemetery from another location on the grounds.

 

CONSECRATION OF THE CEMETERY

The procession to the cemetery begins in the chapel after the closing Mass.

Memorial plaque dedicated to benefactors who helped make the walkway a reality.	Paved walkway leading to the cemetery.
Fr. Perez confers with Mother Margaret Mary before the ceremony.	View of the graves.
Larger cross marking the site of burial of those sisters who died prior to 1898.	Fr. Perez stops to pray at a grave.
The community gathers for the prayers of consecration.	Fr. Perez addresses those in attendance.
Fr. Perez incenses the graves.	Fr. Perez sprinkles the graves with holy water.
The procession forms to leave the cemetery.	The procession moves toward the monastery with the bell tower and lantern over the sanctuary both visible in the distance.