March 15-17, Young Adult Retreat Weekend led by Fr. Bernie Palka, SA, (not pictured), Sr. Lucinda Patterson, SA, Br. Paolo Nicosia, SA, and Paul Krenzelok, Director of Discernment Ministry.
March 15-17, 2019, Fr. Bernie Palka, SA, Sr. Lucinda Patterson, SA, Br. Paolo Nicosia, SA, and Paul Krenzelok, Director of Discernment Ministry led a “discernment” retreat weekend for 10 diverse and vibrant young adults. The purpose was to help these young adults answer the question, “What is God’s plan for my life?” Although no one by the end of the weekend completely “figured out” God’s plan—which wasn’t the purpose—these young adults did come away with tools to discern God’s plan bit by bit.
Paul Krenzelok commented, “Young adults face overload in this day and age. Amidst the barrage of information coming from our smartphones and devices, it is really hard to hear the voice of God. On this retreat, we give young adults the opportunity to be detached from the overstimulation and offer practical tools to hear and respond to God’s call in their lives.”
Highlights included a talk by Fr. Bernie on how heroines and heroes of the Bible inspire us as models for responding to God’s call, a pilgrimage led by Sr. Lucinda and Paul Krenzelok to the holy sites of Graymoor, and Mass with the Brothers Christopher at St. Christopher’s Inn.
Brother Paolo was especially struck by the varied backgrounds and experience of the group: “The group was really diverse! Mexico, Croatia, Ecuador and states up and down the east coast were all represented. Some were discerning a call to religious life while others were focusing on how they can best serve God in their daily interactions. Some were introverted, others were extroverted. Through sharing their diverse perspectives and personalities, the retreatants greatly enriched each other!”
In their own words, here were some takeaways from the retreatants:
- “The idea that we need to continually practice discernment in our lives, as it is part of how we maintain and strengthen our relationship with God.”
- “I will ask God for more assistance, drawing courage from the biblical figures we discussed.”
- “Increased openness to who I am and to God.”
- “Peace and encouragement.”
Please keep these young adults in your prayers so that they may respond with open hearts to God’s call to bring At-One-Ment to our world!