This past weekend, Sidney and I presented at another Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat. It marked the fifth retreat that we have given since we joined the ministry in 2022 and the third since we were discerned as the community leaders in 2025.

The couples from the May 2026 Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat flash their certificates of completion.

This latest retreat was particularly noteworthy for a few reasons. First, we had 22 couples join us, a record for a post-COVID retreat. At the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center they had to change the seating configuration from a length-optimized setup to a width-optimized setup because of the sheer number of attending couples. We even had to speak into microphones because of the volume of people and the increased area of space we took up compared to an average retreat.

After mass on Saturday night, I ran up to the loft and took a photo of the 22 couples plus Sid, Fr. Jeff Lewis, and the Schroeders. The May 2026 Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat was memorable for the outstanding attendance we had.

Another unique aspect to this retreat was the addition of two other couples on top of the 22 who had already registered. In the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, the Catholic community down there is trying to bring its own Engaged Encounter ministry to fruition. Because of this, two couples from the group attempting to launch an EE presence came up to observe how we give retreats. It was fun to show them what we do and the teamwork needed to pull off a weekend. They were impressed.

We got to take the retreat outside on Saturday morning for a Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter tradition known as the “Yes/No game.”

And most significantly, this retreat will forever stick out because it was the last one that Fr. Jeff Lewis presided over as the Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter chaplain. For years he has been the lead priest on our ministry team but that all changed a couple weeks ago when Bishop Daly announced new priestly assignments. Fr. Jeff was impacted in the announcement as the bishop named him pastor of Assumption Parish and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Walla Walla, WA. Because he will now be three hours away from Spokane, he had to step down from his role as EE chaplain. However, I think we sent him out on a high note with so many couples in attendance and a retreat that went as smoothly as you could hope.

Sid and I stand with Natalie Schroeder, Joe Schroeder, and Fr. Jeff Lewis. We served as the ministry team at the May 2026 Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend that took place at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center.

Thanks be to God for another enriching Spokane Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat. Special gratitude to Joe and Natalie Schroeder for presenting with us again. What a blessing this ministry has been to Sid and me…we can’t wait to present again. Don’t Blink.

Past Engaged Encounter Blog Entries
Embracing Vulnerability at Engaged Encounter
A Marital Lesson I Recently Accepted
Still Making It Look Easy: Fr. Pat Kerst
Presenting With My Wife at Engaged Encounter