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September 23, 2014As a general principle of living, one simply never knows how simple, everyday moments in one's life will become something quite seminal in God's communication with us. This was the hope that was expressed in "Explore", the week-long discernment retreat for young men held during the week of July 28-Aug. 1 at Camp Zephyr in Sandia.
The week gathered nine seminarians of the Diocese of Corpus Christi with 24 high school age men, from throughout the diocese, including Corpus Christi, Portland, Robstown, Alice and Premont.
The sole aim of the week was to open ever wider the communication between God and these young men, which is animated by the diverse experiences of every single one of them. The week consisted of prayer, faith sharing and recreation. A central intent of the program was to introduce the men to the life of a seminarian, most especially the life of prayer expected of a candidate for the priesthood.
Yet, it did not aim to "recruit" men for the priesthood. The "recruiting" is God's own mysterious project, given greater and greater clarity by one's own experiences. The hope of the retreat was to add to the many experiences in which each person's vocation is, over time, made known.
"Explore teaches about the Church and how we are all called to be disciples of Christ," Father Joseph Lopez, JCL vocations director for the diocese said.
The Explore retreat is to be an annual fixture for the diocese, and there is no reason that someone cannot return to the retreat. Certainly, the Holy Spirit is creative enough that each retreat will have its own character and be ever new in what it has to offer.
"I saw the Holy Spirit very present in our group. Many said that they couldn't wait for next year's Explore retreat," first-year seminarian Sam Beattie said.
Information about the next retreat will be available as it approaches.
