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Ancient Order of Hibernians
ST. PATRICK RETREAT GROUP
St. Joseph in the Hills ~ Malvern Retreat House
4TH ANNUAL RETREAT
FEBRUARY 2009
(Exact Date To Be Announced)
ABOUT US...
Our Retreat Group is open to all
members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (their family and friends), but especially those Hibernians living in the six county Philadelphia area (Philadelphia, Delaware,
Chester, Montgomery, Bucks and Berks County).
The Malvern Retreat House (also
known as St. Joseph's in the Hills) has served millions
of people over the past 70 years and is situated on 125 woodland acres.
A retreat at Malvern is a great opportunity
for you to get in touch with the really important things in your life; your relationship with your God and your fellow man.
It’s an opportunity to get away from the daily rat race, to relax and to refresh your body and spirit.
In order to assure confirmation
of reservations, a contribution of $25.00 is requested with the return of your reservation form. A free will offering is
requested for this Men's Weekend Retreat, but no one is ever turned away from our retreats due to inability
to pay.
If you are willing to help our
Group grow, need a Reservation Form, or just have a question, please contact:
Phil Bowdren, C.A. Captain
(267) 254-2219 or saintpatrickretreatgroup@verizon.net
HISTORY OF OUR GROUP...
First Retreat:
The first retreat of the AOH St. Patrick Group
was held from Friday to Sunday, February 17th - 19, 2006 at St. Joseph's in the Hills - Malvern Retreat House. While we officially
only had twelve Hibernians attend as part of our group, there were a number of Hibernian Brothers who were attending as part
of the Knights of Columbus group that was there. Because of us being a new group, and our small size, we were incorporated
into the DeSales Group; but we eventually hope to grow large enough to stand on our own and have our own retreat / retreat
master.
Second Retreat:
Our second retreat was held over the weekend
of February 16th to 18th, 2007. Our numbers increased to twenty one Hibernians, including Malvern's new Rector, Father Gregory
Hickey, a member of Wolfe Tone Division 1, Chester County. Cold weather and snow on the ground in no way prevented us from
having a great retreat. The liturgy, conferences, speakers, and hospitality for the weekend were excellent. We want to thank
the entire Malvern staff for a great retreat, especially Hospitality Director and DeSales Group C.A. Captain Tom Stier.
Third Retreat:
Our third retreat was held over the weekend of
February 8th to 10th, 2008. Our numbers remained about the same as last year, but there seems to be a lot more interest in
the group. As expected, the weather was cold, but that didn't deter anyone from having a great retreat. This year we were
incorporated into the St. John Neumann group, and our over all numbers for the weekend topped 312, which is about all the
Retreat House can handle. Lou Greco, the C.A. Captain of the Neumann Group did all he could to make us feel welcome. Our Retreat
Master for the weekend was Father Ned Murphy SJ, who runs a homeless shelter / soup kitchen in the Bronx.
Our Future:
We hope to increase the size of our group each
year until we are large enough to stand on our own, but we need the support of every AOH Division in the six-county area to
make this a reality. If your Division does not have a recruiter, please consider becoming one and helping us grow.
In Our Motto....
Phil
Prosit!
Father Gregory Hickey
Rector of Malvern Retreat House
A member of Wolfe Tone AOH Division 1 - Chester County
ST. PATRICK RETREAT GROUP
FEBRUARY 2008
Kneeling L-R: Seamus Daley (Philly
39), Bob Haley (Philly 22), Jay McCarrie (Philly 51), Dan Lafferty Jr., (Philly 22) and Tim Lafferty (Philly 22)
Standing L-R: Joe Hand (Philly
51), Ed McBride, Dan Herron (Philly 65), Deacon Jerry Whartenby (Philly 17), Phil Bowdren - C.A. Captain (Philly 51), Steve
Lynam, Dan Lafferty Sr. (Philly 22), Tom Babcock (Berks 2), Barney Boyce, John Flood, Ray Bechtle (Berks 2), Pat Duddy, and
Mike Kirk.
Not Shown: Father Greg Hickey -
Rector / Retreat Master (Chester 1), Warren Holohan (Berks 2), Jim Haggerty (Berks 2), John Engle (Berks 2) and Dave Rudy
(Philly 51)
If I missed anyone, identified
them incorrectly, etc. please e-mail me and I'll make the necessary corrections.
ST. PATRICK RETREAT GROUP
FEBRUARY 2007
Seated L-R: Bob Haley (Philly 22), Jack Kennedy (Philly 51),
Dave Rudy (Philly 51), Jay McCarrie (Philly 51), Phil Bowdren - C.A. Captain (Philly 51), Joe Hand (Philly 51), Warren Holohan
(Berks 2), Jim Haggerty (Philly 61)
Standing L-R: Dan Herron (Philly 65), Jim McNulty (Montco 2), Tom McCloskey (Philly 51), John
Engle (Berks 2), Ray Bechtle (Berks 2), Joe Fox (Philly 17), Hank Mullen (Berks 1), Charlie Wilson (Montco 2), Joe Smith (Montco
2), and Deacon Jerry Whartenby (Philly 17)
Not Shown: Father Greg Hickey - Rector / Retreat Master (Chester 1), Dan Lafferty Sr. (Philly
22), Dan Lafferty Jr. (Philly 22), Tim Lafferty (Philly 22)
ST. PATRICK RETREAT GROUP
FEBRUARY 2006
L-R: Tom McCloskey (Div. 51), Jay McCarrie, (Div. 51), Joe Fox (Div. 17),
Deacon Jerry Whartenby (Div. 17), Tim Lafferty (Div. 22), Phil Bowdren - C.A. Captain (Div. 51), Dan Lafferty Jr., (Div. 22),
Dan Lafferty Sr. (Div. 22), Jack Kennedy (Div. 51), Bob Haley (Div. 22), Dave Rudy (Div. 51), and Joe Hand (Div. 51)
 
MAP OF GROUNDS - MALVERN RETREAT HOUSE 
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