11-17 October 2024 

Once the 30 participants of this retreat, from all over the world, arrived safely in Portugal on October 11 and checked into the hotel, they met for dinner at a reserved restaurant. The typical Portuguese fish dishes were sensational and such a nice welcome for us! During this first meal we were able to get to know each other a little bit, and also celebrate Fr. Vassili’s birthday – with port wine and sweet pastries that our Portuguese friend Rui and his wife Ida had donated for that occasion.

View of th monastery

On October 12, at around 9am, we started the morning  with Holy Mass at Fr. Milheiro‘s monastery. Fr. Milheiro has been a faithful friend of True Life in God since the very beginning of its inception, and moreover, a personal friend of Vassula‘s. His monastery, which was situated not far from our hotel, is dedicated to the True Life in God movement. In its beautiful garden, which resembles more a park, excerpts from the TLIG Messages are displayed on large, weatherproof panels to match the Stations of the Cross and the different mysteries of the Rosary. We started each day with Mass at this monastery.

Fr. Milheiro had, in the past, distributed True Life in God books to all Portuguese prisons; and as a consequence, many prisoners converted to the Christian faith. We were truly glad and grateful  to meet him in his old age – shortly before he went home to God at the beginning of December.

Our first excursion that morning took us to Coimbra, the former capital of Portugal. Here we visited the historic University of Coimbra, one of the oldest in Europe. We were then guided through Coimbra’s historic center with a stop at the majestic “Sé Velha”, the old cathedral, one of

Fr. Mileiro with sister Isabelle

the most important Romanesque buildings in Portugal. We immersed ourselves in the lively atmosphere of the narrow streets and local stores. On our walk we followed the footsteps of St. Anthony, who is referred to  here as St. Anthony of Coimbra. His life began here, and ended in Padua.

The city tour continued in the afternoon. We had the opportunity to visit the memorial in honor of Luzia, one of the seers of Fatima, and also to take a brief look at the church that belonged to her convent.  

Visiting the printing room in the monastery

On October 13, we visited Fatima. Our departure was at 6:00am. The 2.5-hour journey, which took us through the beautiful Portuguese countryside, passed quickly with prayers and songs. During the bus ride, Heidi Kyhl  told us about the important work of the Beth Myriam Houses – a centerpiece of True Life in God.

On the road we noticed many buses going to the same destination. Finally, we arrived and attended Holy Mass in Fatima, together with around 200,000 people,  which was quite overwhelming. The music, performed by both a professional orchestra and a choir was very festive. A few words during the liturgy, as well as during the homily were spoken in German and in English. Despite the crowds, everything took place very peacefully and orderly.

Tlig books printing by the nuns

After Mass, we went to the home of the visionaries. It is located near the field where the angel appeared to the children. What a great gift to see all this – guided by our priest,  Fr. Rolf Schönenberger, who is a man of immense knowledge and expertise.

On October 14 we spent the day in Requiao, at Fr. Milheiro’s convent. Here – as before – we began the day at around 8:30am with Mass. After Mass, we listened to our pilgrimage‘s presentations: from Fr. Rolf, a Roman Catholic priest; Rev. Bo, a pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church, and Fr. Vassili, a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church. Fr. Salvin Masereka from Uganda gave a sermon during  the Mass.

After hearing these presentations, we had the time and the opportunity to talk with each other at length, pray the rosary together, read the Bible and the True Life in God Messages. The sisters at the convent provided us with lunch, coffee and home-baked cake in such a generous and loving way that we felt at home. After lunch, we walked the garden and prayed the Stations of the Cross. Here we used the TLIG prayer guide, as we had done before with the rosary.

Santiago de Compostela

On October 15, after Mass, we set off for Santiago de Compostela. Once again, the tour led us along the picturesque Atlantic. Our tour guide explained in detail the history behind what we were viewing. During the 3-hour drive, we learned a lot about the country, its people and its history. We heard a story about the cultivation of cork willows and their use, which was quite interesting.

After arriving in Santiago de Compostela, one of the oldest pilgrimage sites of the world, we strolled through the old town. Our guide told us a lot about the impressive cathedral of Santiago, the final destination of the Way of St. James. In this romanesque-Gothic structured building, the relics of St. James are kept; we had the opportunity to venerate them there.

After exploring the cathedral, we enjoyed a guided walk through the “Praza de Obradoiro”, the bustling heart of the city, surrounded by impressive buildings. We walked through the charming old town, a World Heritage Site, where narrow streets and stone buildings transported us back in time. During our free time, we had lunch at a Galician restaurant, where we tasted the local specialties such as “pulpo” (squid) and Santiago cake.

On October 16, after Mass, we spent about two hours at the monastery in Requiao, so as to learn more about its history. We were given a guided tour of the monastery’s gardens and its own print shop, where the True Life in God messages are printed in Portuguese.

Priests participating in the retreat

Beatrice Bengtson gave us a short talk on the TLIG messages, explaining the deep pedagogy behind them. After hearing this inspiring, enlightening information, we migrated to the community hall, enjoying each other‘s company and conversations.

 Later that day, we went to Porto. While there, we first visited the historic cathedral of Porto (SÈ de Porto), a Romanesque-Gothic masterpiece with a panoramic view of the city. From Porto, we drove to the Bolsa Palace, a neoclassical building from the 19th century.  It is known for its magnificent Arabic room, inspired by the Alhambra in Spain. A short walk took us to the Church of St. Francis, known for its elaborate baroque interior covered in gold leaf.

During the meeting at the monastery

Afterwards, we visited the Avenida dos Aliados, the city’s boulevard, and enjoyed the magnificent architecture and its hustle and bustle. For lunch, some went to a Portuguese restaurant where they could enjoy local dishes such as franceshina or bacalhau (cod).

Unfortunately, due to the onset of rain, our visit to Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart, Maria Droste zu Vischering at the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, had to be postponed. This will be made up for on the next trip!

We returned home on October 17. Rui de Francisco and his wife Ida organized the transfers to the airport for the whole day, just as they did on the day of arrival. Our retreat journey worked wonderfully and we are very grateful to them both.

Michéle Gleiniger