Annual Clergy Retreat Strengthens Prayer, Reflection, and Fellowship

The Eparchy of Edmonton held its Annual Clergy Retreat from May 19 to 22, 2026, bringing clergy together for several days of prayer, reflection, liturgical worship, and brotherhood. This year’s retreat took place at the Sanctum retreat centre, near Caroline, Alberta, a peaceful setting surrounded by forests, a small river, and the quiet beauty of nature that helped create an atmosphere of prayer and recollection.

The retreat was led by Hieromonk Gregory Hrynkiw of the Monastery of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Prud’homme/Vonda, Saskatchewan. Over the course of the retreat, Fr. Gregory offered several talks rooted in the Didache, the Desert Fathers, the Pre-Nicene Fathers, and the writings and witness of the Three Holy Hierarchs: St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Basil the Great, and St. John Chrysostom. His reflections emphasised the importance of prayer, repentance, and the deep spiritual life that sustains clergy in their ministry.

A central theme of the retreat was the value of praying the Psalms as part of the daily prayer rule. Fr. Gregory encouraged the clergy not only to pray the Psalms privately, but also to pray them together and even to sing them, allowing the words of Scripture to shape the heart and mind. He also invited the clergy to embrace silence, self-examination, and repentance as paths toward true self-knowledge before God.

The retreat also included a rich liturgical rhythm of prayer. Each day, the clergy gathered for Divine Liturgy, and throughout the retreat, they prayed Vespers, Matins, a Moleben, and a Panakhyda for the deceased clergy of the Eparchy. This prayer for departed bishops, priests, deacons, and subdeacons was a moving reminder of the generations of faithful shepherds who served the Church before them.

Participants also spoke warmly of the retreat centre and its hospitality. The peaceful surroundings, the presence of wildlife, the quality of the food, and the gracious care of the hosts all contributed to a grace-filled and fruitful retreat. Most importantly, the retreat gave the clergy time to step away from daily responsibilities and renew themselves in prayer, learning, and fraternity.

The Eparchy gives thanks for this blessed time of renewal and for the many graces received during the Annual Clergy Retreat. May the Lord continue to strengthen the clergy of the Eparchy in wisdom, humility, and pastoral zeal as they return to serve their parishes and communities.