A Retreat 'Above All' Others

[The following article is used with the permission of the editor of the West Tennessee Catholic, my diocese's weekly newspaper.  I wrote it to prove how cool it is to be a youth minister!]

Steubenville 2009On a Thursday evening, forty-seven pilgrims boarded a bus for the fourteen-hour ride from Collierville, Tennessee to Steubenville, Ohio.  They were on a pilgrimage during which they would grow close to each other, grow close to Jesus Christ, and worship our loving God who is “Above All” (1 Chronicles 29:11).  Those words of King David from the Old Testament served as the theme for this series of retreat conferences that will take place at various locations around the country throughout the summer.

Many of the retreat-goers had been to such conferences before, and so they were expecting similar things.  However, this retreat was like no other conference during previous years.  This truly was an experience above all others for this parish youth group, and it was a retreat that won’t be soon forgotten.

Participants were treated to plenty of fun during and after the retreat.  Songs of praise, along with a few oldies, pumped through the speakers.  There was a competition to see whether or not guys or girls knew more of today’s (clean) secular music. Youth witnessed some of the most interesting dancing they had ever seen: a break-dancing priest, a musician who danced the “robot,” and a youth minister who moved his body in some other spastic way that resembled a dance.  Finally, the group was able to visit one of America’s most popular theme parks for an exciting day of roller coasters and water slides.

Entertainment, however, was not the most important aspect this retreat.  Rather, the most important experiences were the encounters with the Trinitarian God.  From the outset of the conference, it was clear that God intended to transform hearts!  “You could feel the Spirit there and it was an awesome sight to see that many people praising the Lord,” said T.J. Lanning, a high school graduate.

Youth and chaperones participated in celebrations of Holy Mass during four consecutive days, including a Sunday Liturgy.  During those Masses, participants sang hymns at the tops of their lungs; offered loud, convicted responses; knelt on hard floors throughout the Eucharistic prayers; and received Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity into themselves.  Outside of Mass, Eucharistic Adoration was offered on both Friday and Saturday evenings to the faithful who were gathered there.

Those hours of prayer, deep meditation, and procession of the monstrance around the gymnasium were marked with cries of praise, pleas for mercy, tears of joy, and smiles of gratitude. Abby Fehrenbacher, a high school freshman, commented: “my eyes were open to the Lord.”  Many youth also came away with a new appreciation for their families, friends, and Christ’s Church.  Maggie Blake, a senior, remarked that she gained a new “perspective on my faith” because she was able to “worship with close friends as well as other Catholic teenagers from across the country.”

Young people and chaperones alike became keenly aware that they need God’s sacramental grace, His divine assistance, in order to meet the challenges of the world.  Further, they figured out that a contrite heart and a pure soul are the best starting points for receiving such grace.  Their encounters with Christ at this conference were so real, and the Holy Spirit pierced hearts so deeply, that dozens of youth from this group (and more than a thousand in all) were moved to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Lauren Quas, a senior, declared that confession and the priests who administered that sacrament were “amazing!”

In addition to beautiful and transformative worship, all of the group members participated in workshop sessions that dealt with various spiritual topics: masculine and feminine spirituality, the Mass, recognizing and exposing the lies of Satan, Mary and the Saints, vocational discernment, making Godly decisions, and others.  After the keynote and workshop sessions, small discussion groups were formed in order to explore the participants’ relationship with Christ and the movements of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

In order to place the group under the protective mantle of the Blessed Mother, the Rosary was recited during every day of the pilgrimage.  Conference-goers prayed for safe travels, for their families in the Diocese of Memphis, and for God’s blessings upon the event.  Best of all, youth who had never recited an entire devotion volunteered to participate; and adults made resolutions to begin anew their devotion to Mary.

As the charter bus arrived at Catholic Church of the Incarnation in the middle of the night, the members of the group were physically and spiritually exhausted, but they were not without enthusiasm.  “It was the best trip of my summer,” exclaimed Quas.  “I recommend to everyone to go next year,” said Chris Holmes, a graduated senior.  Each pilgrim then went his or her separate way to recover and reflect on the ways that God had been working.

Without a doubt, the Lord had used the five intense days to break down emotional and spiritual barriers so that he might build new and better dwelling places for Himself.  Said another senior, Parla Hoelter: “Not only did I become closer to the people in my small group, but I became much closer to God.” That certainly was Our Lord’s wish for this group of pilgrims throughout this special weekend.

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