'The Way' retreat offers hope of healing

By Colleen Gallion     COZAD—“The Way: A Healing Retreat for Male Survivors of Abuse” has been scheduled for March 20-22 at Camp Comeca in Cozad.
The event is a three-day guided meditation and prayer experience for men whose abuse by another has deeply affected their heart, mind, body and soul.
The Diocese of Grand Island Victim Assistance Ministry, in collaboration with the Victim Assistance Ministries in the Archdiocese of Omaha and Diocese of Lincoln, is hosting the retreat.
“The Way” retreat, which is Christian-based, was developed by Sue Stubbs from the Archdiocese of Atlanta. She will facilitate the retreat with Dr. Matt Hutt, PhD., and Armando Chavarria, director for the Office of Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Grand Island diocese, along with the Nebraska Retreat Team. Men of all faiths and traditions are invited to attend.
Beth Heidt Kozisek, PhD., who is director for the Office of Child Protection for the diocese, attended the retreat facilitated by Stubbs in Atlanta. She said she and the other participants were all moved by the event.
“It is based on the Stations of the Cross and provides a number of very powerful messages,” she said.     Three of those messages included first, there is nothing that you have been through that Christ cannot empathize with; second, that God loves you, He created you to love and be loved and the abuse that you experienced was not his plan for you; and third, when you join your suffering to Christ’s, powerful things can happen, she said.
She said the retreat also includes daily Mass, group rosary, Adoration, Stations of the Cross, Veneration of the Cross and opportunities for reconciliation and spiritual direction.
“We recognized that we didn’t have anything like this for survivors,” said Cheryl Albright, Outreach Coordinator/Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Diocese of Grand Island. “We wanted to learn from Sue (Stubbs) who has done this for a number of years and has been successful. We wanted to implement the program in our diocese.”
A similar retreat for women was Aug. 9-11, 2019, at Camp Comeca, the first of its kind in the diocese. One woman said she would tell anyone considering attending not to hesitate.
“I would tell them to put aside any fears, anxieties or hesitations and attend. It is well worth the investment of their time and money,” she said. “The healing that came from being in fellowship with others who have experienced similar abuse is something rare and something difficult to put into words.”
Though she didn’t know what to expect going into the retreat, she said she looked forward to it with anxiety and anticipation.
“It did not take very long for the anxiety to diminish once I arrived,” she said.
“I was hoping to gain knowledge and support to help me on my healing journey and that expectation was definitely met at the retreat.”
She added that she was surprised by how easy it was to talk about things that are often difficult, and described it as a warm and welcoming atmosphere, a feeling of safety she felt immediately.
“The most significant things I took from the retreat was the overwhelming love and acceptance God has for us,” she said.
“...Wrapping the pain of my abuse in the suffering Jesus endured for me and then accepting and absorbing the love He has for me was truly life changing.”
For more information, go to https://gidiocese.org/safe-environment/victim-assistance.
To request an application, email [email protected] or call Heidt Kozisek (308) 382-6565. The deadline to register is March 11.
For those who would like to provide financial assistance for those attending, consider donating part or all of the cost of $250 per attendee at https://gidiocese.org/safe-environment/victim-assistance or contact the Child Protection Office at (308) 382-6565. Email [email protected] for more details.