Jesuit Father Matthew Linn, who has guided retreats and workshops on prayer, physical and emotional healing, and forgiveness worldwide, will direct a retreat weekend at St. Pius X Church in April, including a separate program in Spanish.

On Friday evening, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, Father Linn will lead a retreat in English entitled “Becoming Younger Again—A Retreat to Reverse the Aging Process.” On Friday the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include a healing service at 7 p.m. On Saturday the retreat will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m., followed by sessions from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch. The parish Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5 p.m. All are invited to take part in the retreat.

The inspiration behind the retreat is a recent Blue Cross study in Iowa that found that prayerful meditation actually reverses the aging process, according to Father Linn. The retreat will use prayer exercises to heal sources of stress and what makes one uncomfortable with new ideas.

Ordained for over 35 years, Father Linn holds advanced degrees in sociology, spirituality and theology and has taught and given retreats on healing in every state and in over 50 countries. With Dennis and Sheila Linn, he has written 21 books on healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, images of God, and prayer. His focus has been on integrating physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

A $22 donation is requested for the two-day retreat, including lunch, or $7 for Friday only and $20 for Saturday only, including lunch.

The retreat is sponsored by the St. Pius X chapter of the Order of St. Luke, an interdenominational Christian fellowship founded in 1932 to promote the practice of healing as taught and demonstrated by Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, April 6, Father Linn will celebrate Mass in Spanish at 1 p.m. at St. Pius X Church and following Mass will give a presentation in Spanish entitled “Simple Ways to Pray for Healing.” A love offering will be taken up at this presentation. All are invited.

To register for the retreat contact Mary-Mead Mead at (770) 922-6362 or mmead06@bellsouth.net or Joe Shea at (770) 483-6541 or Joseph.Shea@comcast.net. Pre-registration is requested to plan for lunch. Register by mail to St. Pius X OSL, St. Pius X Catholic Church, 2621 Highway 20, SE, Conyers, GA 30013. Make check payable to Order of St. Luke.