Steps in Faith retreat fashioned for youth

By Garth Wruck

VONDA, Sask. — A Face to Face retreat was held last month at St. Phillippe de Neri Parish in Vonda, with 35 young people and their parents attending the day-long event, which was designed to meet the requirements of a diocesan Steps in Faith program.

A retreat is one component of Steps in Faith, which is being introduced across the diocese for youth in grades 6 - 8. The program is part of a renewed focus on lifelong faith formation happening in conjunction with the earlier age of confirmation in the diocese since the Restored Order of Initiation Sacraments.

Developed through the diocesan Rural Catechetics and Youth Ministry offices, Steps in Faith is being offered this year at several parishes, including the Trinity parishes at Prud’homme, St. Denis and Vonda, which hosted the recent retreat. Youth from Saskatoon and Allan also attended the event.

Steps in Faith is designed to help young people grow in their baptized, confirmed and eucharistic identity as they “explore the creed.” In addition to a retreat experience, components of Steps in Faith include: ongoing learning sessions, service projects and a parish ceremony at which young people make a public reaffirmation of faith.

The Trinity district parishes approached Face to Face Ministries about facilitating the retreat portion of their program.

“Face to Face has a successful formula that they use to reach out to youth through their programs and they have a true heart for the Lord,” said Bernard Hamoline, who, along with Louise Bussiere, serves as parish life director for the Trinity region. “They were an obvious fit.

Team member Jon Courchene designed a new retreat for Steps in Faith using the Face to Face formula.

The day began with activities and music to get everyone comfortable and familiar with each other. The first session of the day, Made to be Me, looked at our purpose as children of God and the call of our baptism.
Session two, Who are You? Knowing Your Catholic Identity, went into more depth on the importance of understanding our baptismal identity and the consequences of living outside that identity. Katie DeJong gave personal testimony about her struggles and her triumphs in finding her true identity as a child of God.

Session three, entitled Forgiven, included a keynote presentation and an activity, “the thread web of sin,” which displayed the impact of sin while revealing the infinite mercy and healing that God provides through the sacrament of reconciliation. Priests were in attendance, offering the sacrament of reconciliation to participants.

Participants joined the parish community for mass, and following supper, gathered for a fourth session.

Living the Creed — An Authentic Catholic Life showed how the core beliefs of the creed can affect day-to-day existence, and can help young people live with purpose, knowing their Catholic identity and being reconciled to God.

Throughout the day, participants met in small groups to discuss the various messages provided in the keynote presentations.

“This is a time for young people to share their faith honestly and openly,” said Courchene of the small group discussions, “and it is opportunity to practice sharing their faith and evangelizing out in the world.”