Boom: Filled to the Brim in Phoenix

They’re doing something right at the Franciscan Renewal Center, the facility outside Phoenix where directed a retreat for deacons last weekend.

The place is beautiful—situated between two craggy mountains, with soaring palm trees and lots of acreage for roaming around. It’s a great place to pray, reflect—and take lots of pictures.  And: it evidently attracts a big crowd every week for its liturgies. Mass Saturday night was filled to overflowing.

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In fact, it WAS overflowing.

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Every inch of space contained a chair, including outside in the surrounding patios. The congregation included families, young people, children, grandparents, you name it. Some people even brought their pets. (How Franciscan!) I’m told it’s like this every weekend.

Clearly, the Franciscans who run the place are doing something right.

Understandably, the place has more statues and pictures of St. Francis (and Clare!) than I’ve seen outside of Assisi.

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Francis even figures prominently on the front door of the center.

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The grounds feature, naturally, a labyrinth.

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And gardens.

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There’s a small meditation chapel.

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Someone told me they had conducted a small wedding there on Saturday—it must have been very small, because the place can hold only about 20 people.

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Adjoining the main church is the St. Clare Chapel of the Blessed Eucharist, which reminded me of nothing so much as the set of “Star Trek.”

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The gift shop was fully stocked with books about Pope Francis, and about mercy.

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But it’s what’s outside that really caught my eye. The setting is stunning.

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Did I mention that there’s a pool?

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More statues.

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And, of course, a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. I think this dates back to the earliest days of the center, and was where outdoor Masses were celebrated in the 1950s. It remains a site of prayer and devotion.

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Our retreat, meantime, drew about 40 guys from the Diocese of Phoenix.

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Each day concluded with a Holy Hour and Benediction, conducted in our conference room, where we had the Blessed Sacrament reserved in a special tabernacle.

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It was a great weekend. Thank you, Phoenix!

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