On July 11-13, the Office of Youth Ministry of the Diocese of Corpus Christi held a TOUGH (Teens Open Up to God’s Holiness) retreat with 27 teens from eight parishes participating at the Cursillo Center. As part of the retreat, teens participated in the sacrament of reconciliation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Mass and shared ideas for the need to change their lives and live for Christ.
“Upon arrival, many of the teens were quite hesitant about attending. Parents voiced the reluctance of their teens to staff volunteers,” Youth Ministry director Jaime Reyna said.
The volunteer staff consisted of teens and young and older adults. They were ready to keep retreat participants busy with icebreakers and mixers for the teens to get to know one another within the hour they arrived, Reyna said.
“The environment changed from teens not wanting to attend the retreat to teens not wanting to leave the retreat,” Reyna said.
Teens worked in small group settings to talk about their relationships with God and others. They were also able to see skits that were performed by volunteer staff related to faith in action and the teachings of the faith.
Teens opened up to others about the parts of their lives that need to grow in order to have a better understanding of their faith and relationship with Jesus.
“It changed the way I think. Made me realize God will always be there for you no matter what,” one teen said in his evaluation sheet. Another teen said, “It has made me thankful for everything I have and I feel closer to God.”
Participants were encouraged to re-connect with their parish and involve themselves in parish life.
The Office of Youth Ministry works to help parishes serve the young church. The TOUGH Retreat is consistent with the office’s goals to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today; to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work kin the Catholic faith community; and to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.
“The purpose of this retreat is to support parishes that are sometimes unable to hold a retreat for their teens for a variety of reasons. Living in a world where silence, discerning and praying can be distorted by our surroundings, weekend retreats offer teens an opportunity to ‘slow down and discern’ life’s issues and their relationship with God, their family and others,” Reyna said.
The Office of Youth Ministry services and events are consistent with directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in “Renewing the Vision: A framework for Catholic Youth Ministry.”
The next retreat will be held at the new Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center in Corpus Christi on Dec. 19-21 and registration is $50 per teen. The fee includes meals and lodging.
More information will be available on the Office of Youth Ministry Web page at www.diocesecc.org/youth