Meditation CDs to benefit Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House

Father James Farrell, the new director of Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House, presents a brief reflection on the importance of spiritual retreats during a “Celebrate the Future” program on June 5 at the archdiocesan retreat center at 5353 E. 56th St. in Indianapolis. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Mary Ann Wyand

A popular saying reminds people that “good things come in threes.”

That saying could apply to “Pathways to Prayer,” a three-volume set of CDs featuring guided imagery meditations by Father James Farrell, the new director of Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House in Indianapolis.

The recordings of Father Farrell’s soothing voice are set to background music elements with nature sounds that enhance the listener’s meditation experience. (Listen to a reflection by Fr. Farrell -- mp3 format; 2 MB)

They were created to help people grow closer to Jesus, Father Farrell explained, by spending quiet time listening for God’s voice.

Since October of 1975, the diocesan priest has been a frequent retreat presenter at Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House and has conducted a number of parish missions. Through the years, his guided imagery meditations have become very popular with retreatants.

People can also experience spiritual growth by listening to his meditation CDs at home or during walks in nature.

A note on the CD jacket suggests that people “try to create a space for solitude” while listening to the CDs.

“Do not use while driving a car,” the jacket information recommends. “Have some tissues nearby if you are prone to tears.”

Each guided meditation concludes with calming instrumental music to give listeners time to slowly return to the present moment after their virtual spiritual journey.

“In ‘Pathways to Prayer, Volume I,’ you meet with Jesus on the porch and have a little conversation with him,” Father Farrell said. “He wants to know how things are going in your life right now. It’s an opportunity to talk to Jesus directly about issues and concerns—things that may be weighing on you—and an opportunity to listen for Jesus’ response to your needs and petitions.”

The second guided meditation CD features Father Farrell’s narrative of Jesus visiting a person at home.

“Jesus comes to your home and you give him a tour of your house,” Father Farrell explained. “Then you take Jesus to your favorite place in the house and have a conversation with him there about your life and your family. It’s an opportunity to grow in love for Jesus and realize that he really is a part of your life.”

The third CD released earlier this year focuses on getting to know Jesus in this life and spending eternal life with God.

“ ‘Pathways to Prayer, Volume III’ is built around the theme of a covered bridge,” Father Farrell said. “You meet Jesus on the covered bridge then do a little life review. In the course of the conversation, Jesus tells you that he came from the other side of the bridge, that there is a time for life on both sides of the bridge, and that when it is your time to come to the other side of the bridge he will invite you and you will go with him.

“It has a theme of any kind of a rite of passage in our life,” he said. “Whether we are moving through an illness or moving through some other life change, we are letting go of some things and embracing something new. It’s an opportunity to walk through that covered bridge and discover that Jesus is on the other side of that passageway just as he has been on the side that you are on now.”

Father Farrell said each volume of the copyrighted CDs now sells for $10 at Fatima’s gift shop—reduced from the earlier price of $15—and mail orders are $12 to cover the cost of postage.

“All the CDs have been created as an effort to, first of all, promote prayer and invite people to deeper intimacy with Jesus,” he said. “Then the proceeds from the sale of the CDs benefit Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House. That’s been a great boon to us in the last several years, and we’re looking for new ways to market them.”

Recent improvements at the three-level archdiocesan retreat center include a new wheelchair lift and handicap-accessible restroom, guest services manager Sandy Pasotti said, to accommodate the special needs of visitors.

The retreat house staff also sponsors a monthly Mass and continental breakfast for visitors in addition to days of reflection and weekend retreats throughout the year.

St. Pius X parishioner Martha Thie of Indianapolis, an advisory board member, attended her first retreat in 1961 while the retreat house was still located on Raymond Street in Indianapolis.

Thie said fundraising efforts benefit Fatima in several ways, including helping people who cannot afford to pay the full price for a retreat.

“I’ve been making retreats at Fatima for years,” Thie said. “It’s a wonderful, holy place—a place of rest.”

(To order the “Pathways to Prayer” CDs or learn about retreat opportunities, call Our Lady of Fatima Retreat House at 317-545-7681 or log on to the Web site at www.archindy.org/fatima.) †