Florida Catholic | Youth Retreat

Youth retreat promotes prayer, service, giving

A two-day youth session at Resurrection Parish included prayer, group discussions, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a sleepover, community service and witness talks.

PATTI PANARA | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 01.18.08

Josh Richard, 17, left, and Abby Noonan, 16, both of Resurrection Parish in Lakeland, model their “Alive in Christ” T-shirts prior to the retreat weekend.
Courtesy | Catholic Foundation of Central Florida

LAKELAND | More than a dozen teens and young adults participated in a Jan. 11 retreat weekend at Resurrection Parish here as part of a diocesan campaign to promote prayer, service and personal giving.

“We’re trying to involve and engage youth and young adults in an authentic and meaningful way,” said Kristina Graczyk, youth and young adult coordinator for the “Alive in Christ” campaign. The campaign includes a capital fund drive to help the diocese reach major goals, but also emphasizes prayer and service. “I’m excited to see how they’re incorporating ‘Alive in Christ’ into parish activities here at Resurrection,” said Graczyk.

The two-day youth session at Resurrection included prayer, group discussions, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a sleepover, community service and witness talks. Participants spent Saturday morning working in the community in a variety of service projects such as helping at Talbot House, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen. While service to others was an important component of the weekend, participants emphasized that the weekend was meaningful because it was based on a personal relationship with Christ.

“You can’t do service projects in the name of God if you don’t know who he is,” said Elizabeth Johnson, 15, a sophomore who is home-schooled. “We’re called to help the less fortunate, but we have to do it with the right attitude. We have to give freely in order to give real service. We have to be willing to sacrifice ourselves for others just as the Son of God did for us.”

She also mentioned the difficulty of keeping a mindset of loving service while dealing daily with family, teachers and friends. “I remind myself that if I respect my parents, siblings and others, that means I’m respecting God, too,” she said. “To live like Christ, my life should be a giant service project to the world.”

Brendan McGowan, a freshman at Santa Fe Catholic High School in Lakeland, said he appreciated the fellowship with other young people. “It’s nice to be with people who believe the same thing you do,” he said. “We can help each other grow stronger in our faith.”

Elizabeth Becker, one of the group facilitators, added, “One of our goals is to see the face of Christ in other people. You have to get below the surface and get to know people in a deeper way. We have to make the time to be the light of Christ for others.”

One of the questions the group tried to answer was: What does it mean to be “Alive in Christ”? Some of the many answers were:

• to make Jesus Christ your obsession;

• to love other people unconditionally;

• to wake up each morning and offer our thoughts, words and actions to God;

• to turn our day into a prayer.

According to Graczyk, the three pillars of the youth and young adult, or YA2, segment of the campaign are prayer, service and personal giving. She is initially working with 10 parishes, including Resurrection, as part of an initial wave of action that will continue through the 2008 Year of Evangelization. Through the next two and a half years, the campaign will reach all 90 parishes and missions in the diocese.

“It’s helping our young people realize that they’re part of something greater than themselves,” Graczyk said. “We’re hoping the youth will lead and inspire others to become part of a culture change.”

Return to Diocese of Orlando Front Page

Youth retreat promotes prayer, service, giving

Other Stories