Teens from northern region pray together at weekend retreat

By Catherine E. Hanley
The Catholic Sun

WILLIAMS — Sporting jeans, sneakers, down jackets and backpacks, 264 teens arrived at Young Life Camp in Lost Canyon, searching for their place in the life of the Church.

“After last year’s retreat I received the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and confirmation. It was wonderful preparation,” Sara Barskay, 17, said of the March 24-26 retreat.

“This year, for me, the retreat is very different because I am meeting teens from all over Northern Arizona and sharing so many things I would not have had the opportunity to do elsewhere,” she added. “Making friends like this is so important to living our faith — we learn so much from each other.”

Bill Marcotte, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Phoenix, hoped teens would make these connections.

“Coming together, they are able to discuss their most intimate aspirations, experience the Church as community and make a commitment to the urgent task of new evangelization,” Marcotte said.

“In doing so, they join hands, forming an immense circle of friendship, uniting in faith in the risen Lord all the different races and nations, cultures and experiences,” he added.

Marcotte worked with 48 youth ministers and leaders and 30 kitchen volunteers from parishes of the northern region of the diocese.

Youth minister Vinny Gallegos from Sacred Heart Parish in Prescott noted the importance of teens learning how to face challenges to their faith.

“Many times it takes the non-threatening, positive environment of the retreat to assist teens to learn from the experiences shared by each other,” he said.

Eduardo Santamaira, 17, said each of the six retreats he’s been on “reached me at a different level of my life and offered new ways of making my faith more meaningful.”

“This will not be my last retreat but it really was one of the most important,” he said.

Having completed the second successful year, Marcotte hopes all seven diocesan deaneries will participate in future teen retreats, youth days, World Youth Days and diocesan young adult conferences.

He said that by broadening the knowledge base and sharing resources, additional opportunities will occur for dialogue, interaction and enriching friendships among teens across the diocese.

Marcotte explained that events such as this provide occasions for young people to profess and proclaim their faith in Christ.

At the end of the retreat, teens participated in an open-mic session to provide testimony as to how Christ has worked in their lives.

Teens also took part in Stations of the Cross, reconciliation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and praying the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.