O’Dwyer Higher: Adaptations to times, enduring truths at retreat house

SPARKS – Amid directives to limit travel and contact with those outside one’s household, 13 of the 21 candidates for confirmation from St. Bernadette in Severn spent most of Sept. 13 on the other side of town, at the Monsignor O’Dwyer Retreat House.

Rena Black is coordinator of youth ministry for the parish, which sits beneath a flight pattern for BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport. That can break the mood when stepping outside to share on the  campus, but there are other, more vital reasons she had her teens get away to northern Baltimore County.

“There is the history of the retreat house,” Black said, “and its special dedication to young people, for them to be able to come together with each other, with God and with the church. The fact this has been happening there for decades, that’s an important aspect for me.

“It’s our Catholic retreat house.”

Rich history

In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, that has been the case since 1963, when it purchased Castaways North, a country club notable for its willingness to book Black entertainers during the Jim Crow era, and, under the direction of Monsignor Clare J. O’Dwyer, repurposed it as the CYO Retreat House.

According to Phil Howard, the director of the retreat house, Louis Armstrong and Harry Belafonte were among the headliners in the space that is now St. Joseph Hall.

Monsignor O’Dwyer died in 1982; the institution now bears his name.

“It was (his) vision to create a ‘spiritual powerhouse’ for young people,” Howard said. “I imagine that if Monsignor O’Dwyer was walking by that same room (St. Joseph’s Hall) today, he would be so proud of his legacy.”

Howard has a personal attachment to the place. Delyza Diaz was among his fellow participants at the archdiocesan High School Leadership Institute (High Li) there in 1994, when Howard represented Church of the Resurrection in Elllicott City, still his home parish. In 2002, he proposed marriage there. They celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary Aug. 9.

Situated on more than 18 acres along York Road, the retreat house is host to more than 5,000 guests a year. It can accommodate 101 overnight guests and a 100,000-gallon pool, but most vitally, a Catholic chapel and numerous other spaces for prayer and reflection.

Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore was the very first institution to use the retreat house, and returned Aug. 17-18 with members of its class of 2021, whose junior retreat had been canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Students were able to see the importance of these retreats and the community that they foster,” said Clay Bonham, a theology teacher and campus minister.

New safeguards

As the Baltimore Ravens were kicking off their 2020 season in an M&T Bank Stadium devoid of fans Sept. 13, the leaders from St. Bernadette Parish found similar precautions in place at the retreat house for their confirmation candidates.

Before the arrival of COVID-19, the retreat house had made substantial investments in technology upgrades, including Bluetooth connectivity. Once the pandemic hit, it installed a video conferencing system, allowing retreat leaders to share with other rooms inside the facility, and with those at home.

In addition to 13 candidates, St. Bernadette brought four high school peer ministers and seven adult leaders, including Father Patrick Carrion, the pastor. They were connected throughout a seven-hour retreat with another eight candidates, one high school peer minister and one adult leader, all at home and able to share remotely.

“Although it was different to have six-foot spacing and mask-wearing, O’Dwyer still felt like a welcoming, spiritual home,” said Black, the parish leader. “The video broadcast system made it possible for small groups to experience the same retreat, despite being in different rooms or even participating from off campus.”

She spoke of “genuine smiles and laughter,” both at the retreat house and individual homes.

“That,” Black said, “told me that we had accomplished our goal: to root the incoming candidates in the truth that they belong to the Lord and to his church.”

Howard, the director of the retreat house, said the opportunities for spiritual growth it offers are more relevant than ever.

“Young people spend less time building relationships in person with their peers, even though they are constantly connected over their devices,” he said. “A simple, ‘How is your day going?’ has taken a back seat to competing over who has the most followers on Instagram or views on TikTok.

“The great ministry that is done here every day by visiting clergy, lay ministers, volunteers and students will have a lasting impact.”

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