By Sister Francesca Witkowska in collaboration with Sister Marcella Louise Wallowicz
The United States of America has always been known as a land of possibility and promise of a better life for immigrants from all over the world. Nazareth Retreat Center (NRC), located on the border of the dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth, offers hospitality and programs to those seeking the Lord. Sisters Marietta Osinska, Barbara Jean Wojnicki, and Edyta Krawczyk were instrumental in beginning the ministry of the NRC, a hidden treasure in the hills of Grand Prairie, TX, since 2009.
The fastest growing demographic group in Texas are Hispanics, comprising 64% of the state’s population. Not surprisingly, when calls are received at the NRC, the caller will begin by speaking in Spanish. Although not all our sisters on staff are fluent in Spanish, the language of love and compassion enables them to respond to the needs of the Hispanics and other first-generation immigrants who choose the NRC for prayer and retreat opportunities.
The NRC provides one-day and overnight retreats in addition to community celebrations, workshops, and couples retreats, as well as occasional wedding anniversaries. Quinceañeras are celebrated in the chapel. One recipient of Nazareth hospitality is Talleras de Oration y Vida (TOV), or Workshops of Prayer and Life, a movement started in Mexico by Father Ignacio Larranaga, OFM.
NRC Mission and Ministry Director Sister Francesca Witkowska, commenting on the TOV, shared, “We are witnessing their coming for periodic, silent, one-day retreats for many years. I am edified how faithfully they come to our retreat center, spending hours in silent prayer with their Bibles and prayer books. They choose to sit under the trees, on lawn chairs, by the ponds, in the gazebo, or inside the buildings, in the corners, sometimes where we least expect them, meditating on the Word of God for a prolonged period only to share the fruit of their prayer with the group at the end of their retreat.”
The NRC provides retreatants with a safe space for an encounter with God their Creator on their personal journey. In the words of Alejandra, one of the TOV retreatants, “The retreat center is a place where I have encountered solitude, silence, and peace to have intimate time with Jesus. No matter where we come from or what we are struggling with, after our silent time we always go home filled with a sense of belonging and a purpose to continue our mission as Guides of Prayer and Life Workshops.”
Another TOV member, Alma, who has brought her groups to the NRC for eight years, shared, “Nazareth is our home, where we love to keep coming back for years. It is like coming back home each time we are here. We love coming here.” In 2023 alone, the NRC welcomed more than 540 TOV members for their silent retreats. Spiritual Director Sister Mary Louise Swift, who welcomes TOV members in their native Spanish language, shared, “The TOV’s devotion to God through this disciplined prayer method inspires and evangelizes me as I see their spiritual boundedness drawn by Jesus Christ. They come faithfully to our doors to embrace and celebrate holiness within their personal and communal lives.”
Hispanic groups of the Neocatechumenal Way also frequent the NRC. Sister David Sibiski coordinates this ministry. Last year, 530 adults, not counting children, were welcomed. They come with their families to celebrate Eucharist or for days of catechesis. While the adults have their meetings, the children play under the care of chaperones.
Jesús, a Neocatechumenal group leader and father of nine, has brought Neo groups to the NRC from the onset. He emphasized, “We could go somewhere else, but we love the sisters and we love coming back to Nazareth to celebrate Eucharist and for our meetings.” The NRC provides space for weekend, overnight worldwide marriage encounter retreats, hosting three to four yearly. The NRC also welcomes Couples for Christ, a Filipino organization with a similar mission of strengthening marriages in the spirit of Christ.
Additionally, the NRC offers healing retreats such as Rachel’s Vineyard for women recovering from abortion, and Project Joseph for men. Dawn of Mercy Healing Retreats address the needs of women who were sexually abused. These healing retreats are offered in Spanish and English.
Another large demographic group served by the center is the Asian population — in particular, the Vietnamese and Chinese. Sister Mary Louise provides programs for these groups and observed, “Members of the Chinese Catholic Church here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area found their way to our NRC to explore the wisdom of nature in revealing the presence and activity of God in the world. The participants directly encountered nature during retreat days and produced individual expressions of Asian art in each season’s retreat activities.” Technology facilitates the ability of the NRC to expand the outreach of selected retreat program presentations to Taiwan, the Philippines, and Canada via Zoom.
Each year, Sister Emmanuela Le prepares a Vietnamese youth group from St. Joseph Parish for the sacrament of confirmation. Other Vietnamese groups come for their catechetical retreats and the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. The NRC hosts private retreats for multinational participants. A recent retreatant, Sister Duyen Nguyen, FMSR, commented, “The sisters have shared with me their love, care, and prayers. I feel at home. Thanks be to God. I have had a fruitful retreat.” In recent weeks, the center has welcomed individuals from Tanzania, Spain, Puerto Rico, and cities across the United States. In 2023, the center accommodated more than 3,100 retreatants, more than half of them first-generation immigrants to Texas.
Sister Francesca expressed her gratitude to Sister Monika Brulinska, local superior, and all the sisters in the local community in Grand Prairie for the support given to the NRC. For the past 15 years, the sisters have supported this ministry of hospitality and spiritual care for thousands of retreatants each year, allowing them to experience the spirit of Nazareth.
