Part of my job includes faith formation for the tenth grade students at our parish. In tenth grade, they are eligable for the Sacrament of Confirmation... Thus I spend about 12 weeks in classes and on retreats with them. This year we had a smaller class of only 156 candidates. For two weekends in the Fall I am gone on retreat with them. One half one weekend and the other have the second weekend. Yikes! I orchestrate about 30 volunteers and guest speakers, musicians, priests, deacons, etc to make this happen. It is one of the biggest challenges I face each year, yet the most rewarding two weekends of the year.
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| Chapel at Covecrest |
This year because our two groups were smaller, we actually fit in the chapel for Mass. There is something so sacred about this tiny place of worship.
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| Working on their pumpkins |
The last few years, the retreats have landed over Halloween - so for a team building activity, the kids have a pumpkin carving contest as a small group team building activity.
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| Getting ready for Confession |
One of the greatest components of the retreat is for the teens to go to Reconciliation. Many of them haven't gone in 7 years!
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| Free time! |
The kids were hanging out at one of the cabins, just praying, talking, reading, playing games! Love it!
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| Skit practice |
During our "Road to Emmaus" Confirmation retreat, the teen leaders do a skit about sin and how it separates us from God. This is a little of their practice.
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| Restoration |
The skit finishes with the girl surrendering all her sins by giving them to Jesus.
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| Praying over the guest speakers |
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| Eucharistic Adoration! |
Saturday night the teens have an opportunity to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Most of them haven't taken a quiet hour EVER in their life, nor ever spent time in Adoration. It's always a moving experience and is a turning point for many of them to clear their minds and just *be* with Jesus.
These are hands down two of our favorite weekends of the year. Like I said, a lot of work, but extremely rewarding! The best part is on Monday when I open my email and read "When can we do it again?"
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