About the Theme: Jesus preached and lived love, forgiveness, peace, and unity. He condemned vengeance, retaliation, self-righteous judgment of others and promoted reconciliation, building bridges, and all-inclusive love. As his disciples, we should be witnesses to his peacemaking in all our relationships, in our family, our society, and our world. This retreat will offer us a deeper understanding of and commitment to Christian peacemaking as well as practical and effective human relations skills to prevent and resolve conflicts in multiple and varied settings. Jesus said, “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother (or sister) has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother (or sister), and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5: 24) The Retreat will focus on: 1. “How do we nurture peace within our own hearts and souls?” 2. “How do we promote peace in our relationships with others?” 3. “How do we prevent conflicts with others according to our Christian values?” 4. “How do we manage or resolve conflicts with others according to our Christian values?”
About the Presenter: Fr. Doug Doussan is a priest of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He is retired and serving as Chaplain of the Archdiocesan Retreat Center. He was formerly the St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish pastor in New Orleans and St. Joseph the Worker in Marrero. He served as Archdiocesan Priest Personnel Director and Priest Continuing Formation Director. He received a Master's Degree in liturgy from Notre Dame University and special training in Conflict Resolution from Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He also served as Chair of the Pax Christi USA Council (the National Catholic Peace Movement) and was co-founder of the Pax Christi New Orleans Council. He has given countless training workshops locally and nationally in inclusive parish organization, lay leadership formation, and consensus decision making.
Registration Information: The retreat check-in is between 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Registration includes meals and accommodations. To register for this retreat, you may do so online by following the link provided below or calling our retreat office at
504-267-9604. Our capacity is limited due to COVID-19 and we are currently accepting registration on a first come first serve basis. A non-refundable deposit is required to register. You can choose to pay just the deposit upon registration or to pay in full. If you require financial assistance, please contact Kim Gandolfi at
504-267-9600