Saturday, February 28, 2026
8:00 am to Noon
Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center
7007 Bradley Blvd, Bethesda, MD
Retreat Director: Very Rev. Mark L. Smith
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church
Retreat Theme: Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest
This Lenten retreat will invite us to be touched by Christ in His Ministry of Healing. Believe it or not, we are all in need of constant healing – which brings us closer to our Lord and to one another. Join us for the special Healing Grace of Lent – and let Christ Heal us Now to help bring charity, hope, unity and peace into our world and into our hearts.
Rev. Mark Smith, is the pastor of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves as Dean of the Middle Montgomery County Deanery for the ADW. Ordained to the priesthood in 2005, he is a Washington native and the youngest of eleven children. Father Mark graduated from Towson State University with a degree in business. He completed seminary formation at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmittsburg, MD and Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University, New Jersey. Father Mark is currently in his tenth year as Adjunct Faculty at St. John Paul II Seminary, where he serves as a spiritual director. He also serves as chaplain to the Catholic Medical Association. He has previously served on both the Priests Council and the Clergy Board. His priestly assignments have included Holy Redeemer Parish in Kensington, MD, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Pomfret, MD, followed by nine years at Holy Redeemer Parish in College Park, before his current assignment at St. Bartholomew.