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What is Earthen Vessels?

Earthen Vessels is a peer ministry. We minister to you – the people who serve in the Church. Earthen Vessels offers separate programs for a variety of groups who serve in the Church: For priests, married couples, and diaconate couples. The best way we know to minister to others is to ask Jesus to guide the process. For this reason, Jesus is at the center of an Earthen Vessels experience, through our exploration of the Paschal Mystery during the retreat. We do this by identifying our own Paschal journey, times when Jesus has been central in our lives.

How Earthen Vessels can benefit your ministry

As human beings we are “earthen vessels,” fragile yet beautiful. In order to serve well, we need to do as Jesus instructed his disciples: “Come away and rest for a while.” Earthen Vessels benefits people who serve in ministry by providing a structured renewal experience. These experiences are held in a setting which is conducive to spiritual relaxation as well as to spiritual growth.

The Earthen Vessels Experience

A “retreat” is usually conducted by one person or by a team on a theological topic. Such retreats offer few opportunities for interaction or for integration by the participants. Earthen Vessels retreat offers and experience during which there are up to 3 presenters, each of whom tells stories from their life. Their stories are connected with a parallel moment in the life of Jesus. Retreat participants are encouraged to interact and are presented with a proven way to interact fruitfully. These activities help each participant to explore their own life story, by seeing in their own life how Jesus is present. Retreat participants explore their own Paschal journey , their own experience of Jesus in their life.

Earthen Vessels: A Renewal Ministry

Earthen Vessels provides an integrated retreat experience which renews ministers in the Church. An Earthen Vessels retreat is a walk with Jesus through the Paschal Mystery. This walk helps us, individually, to understand our Paschal journey. The emphasis of an Earthen Vessels retreat is how our own journey in Church ministry parallels Jesus’ story, from Palm Sunday through Pentecost. Part of the retreat helps participants get in touch with moments of great satisfaction in ministry (these are "Palm Sunday" experiences). A following part of the retreat focuses times of intimacy with Jesus (these are "Holy Thursday" experiences). After that the retreat moves to healing the hurts we experience in ministry (these are "Good Friday" experiences). Then the retreat moves to times of new life, of renewal in our ministry (these are "Easter" experiences). The retreat ends with proclamation, with bringing the message to other people (these are "Pentecost" experiences).

An Earthen Vessels experience also helps participants to clarify their vision of their future in ministry and in their walk with Jesus. People who have attended Earthen Vessels retreat have found prayerful ways to deepen their relationships with those whom they serve, their fellow ministers, with their spouse, and with God.

How Earthen Vessels serves Diaconate Couples

Earthen Vessels has evolved as a renewal ministry. It began as a program to minister to priests, particularly those who were strongly impacted by the sexual abuse scandal in the Church in the United States, which came to the surface in 2002. After that Earthen Vessels turned its focus to married couples and in particular to couples who minister to other couples, through Marriage Encounter, Retrouvaille, and Engaged Encounter. Then Earthen Vessels brought together the sacraments of ordination and marriage, which is ideal for diaconate couples. An Earthen Vessels marriage retreat is an intimate experience between the diaconate couple and Jesus. It is a unique program because it brings together marriage and ordination in one retreat experience.