Dominus Vobiscum: “The Lord Be With You”

Dominus Vobiscum (Latin for “the Lord be with you”) offers one-week retreats for couples and families. The week includes morning and evening liturgy/prayer, a marriage enrichment program, a children’s program, a teen program, and recreational activities.

Dominus Vobiscum (DV) Catholic Family Foundation serves the English-speaking Catholic community. Inspired by John Paul II’s vision of the family as the way of the church, its mission is to provide support for parents and children facing the challenges of marriage and family life.

A Little Bit of History

Dominus Vobiscum occupies the historic Orelda-Marian camp originally founded by Fathers O’Rourke, Elliott, and Dawson in 1930. By the 1990s facilities had deteriorated and the site was closed. In 1998, the Newman Centre in collaboration with the Foundation of Catholic Community Services launched a major project to rebuild this important facility and to rededicate it to the mission of supporting marriage and family. This project was spearheaded by a large group of dedicated volunteers.

Facilities

The Centre is situated on 250 acres bordering Lac Maskinongé, approximately 1 hour drive northeast of Montreal.

There are 12 cabin units at the Orelda site. Each unit is equipped with separate washroom facilities (hot & cold water, showers, etc) and sleeping accommodations.

The main lodge at the Orelda site consists of a large fully equipped kitchen, dining room, recreation areas, and an indoor chapel.

There is a large outdoor play facility for recreational activities  (basketball, soccer, etc.). The site is blessed with 2 kilometers of wonderful sandy beaches. Click

here to view a map of the DV site.

 

Daily Life

Our “domestic rule” consists of prayer, faith sharing, and recreation. Programming for couples and children is kept to the morning period leaving afternoons and evenings free for family time and recreation.

Lunch is provided, but families are responsible for providing and preparing their own breakfast and supper meals. Cooking and dining facilities (including a fridge for each family) are available at the main lodge.

The retreat centre is run by volunteers. In order to maintain this facility, famies are assigned simple clean-up chores for the week.

Recreational activities at Dominus Vobiscum include basketball, beach volleyball, soccer, table-tennis, beach-front activities, evening camp fires, board game nights, etc.

 

DV Marriage Enrichment Retreat

The marriage enrichment retreats offered for the DV weeks in July are held in the morning sessions from Monday to Friday.  The retreat is centred on our nuptial relationship in Christ. The day sessions involve presentations, prayer, scriptural meditation, and sharing.   The retreat also builds upon solid marriage education programs available from both secular and faith resources. The retreat program is aimed at enriching the marriage relationship, as well as providing couples with  tools to bring back to their local parishes and communities.  (The other  retreat weeks at DV (Nazareth, Family Life, etc.) offer similar but distinct programs).

Children and Teens Program

Our children’s program is led by a group of experienced youth volunteers. The program is designed to address different age levels from infants to teens.  The program consists of sports, music, drama, arts & crafts, and catechesis.