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RETREAT THEMES

Below we have listed summaries of the themes that NET offers on retreats

Who Are You

(Recommended for grades 7-9)

Dealing with issues of self-worth, personal confidence, and acceptance is common among junior and senior high students. The “Who Are You?” retreat theme helps young people come to a greater awareness of their goodness and uniqueness as God’s sons and daughters.

Confirmation

NET ministries see Confirmation as a vital time in the faith journey of young Catholics. The “Confirmation” retreat theme is designed to instruct the Candidates on the importance of this time in their faith development.

Jesus Who?!

Who is Jesus in today's society and what does He have to offer? What do we fill our schedules with on a daily basis? Why not make time for Jesus? Having a relationship with Jesus offers you love, hope and freedom. Find out how to apply this to your everyday life and fit Jesus into your busy schedule.

Say Not that I am Too Young

Responding to Jesus' call to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, this theme encourages youth to be a light to the world in a way that only youth can be!

“Never forget that the Church, in fact humanity itself, all the people around you now and those who await you in the future, expect much from you young people, because you have within you the supreme gift of the Father, the Spirit of Jesus." - Pope Benedict XVI

The Real Presence

(Recommended for Grades 8-12)

Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist that we receive at Mass and this truth has the potential to be life changing. If this is true, why do so many young people find Mass boring? Why are our young people disappearing from the pews of our Churches? This talk addresses these questions by returning to the heart of the reality of Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist and how that can affect the life of a young person.

Self Image - Men's and Woman's

(For Senior students grades 11 and up)
For this talk theme the men and woman will be split up by gender for the talk sessions and will hear truth about God's plan for them as men and woman of God.

Maybe She's Born With It?? (Women's Version)

Young women today are bombarded by society to conform to an ideal that the world deems as valuable. This talk is designed to help women to deal with the pressures surrounding them, by presenting them with the truth about their worth in the eyes of Christ.

Am I Enough? (Men's version)

This talk is designed to help men realize that their identity comes from God and not from the opinions of the world, other men or unfit fathers. Through personal testimonies and scripture, we teach them the value of solid male friends and role models, explain the dignity of women and teach them how to rise above the views of society and uphold and protect their identity in Christ as well as the dignity and honour of women.

Family

This retreat is designed for parents and their children. The family retreat incorporates presentations on themes applicable to family life. There is one main presentation given to the families collectively after which the parents and youth go into separate small groups. The team members share their experiences of family life and how their relationship with the Lord has impacted their family. There is also time set aside for families to meet together for discussion and prayer.

Please note: It is important to have parents attend this retreat with their children.

Young Adult (ages 18-30)

Self Discovory: Our Journey towards Christ

As adults, our spiritual growth is no less important than when we were younger. Taking an interesting spin on the classic film “The Wizard of Oz”, we will explore the journey of self-knowledge and how learning more about ourselves leads us closer to the freedom of Christ.

Overnight Retreat - Real Love

There is a deep longing in every person’s heart for love. Throughout our lives we are searching for experiences to fill this deep longing. Very often we are unaware of what it is that we want out of life or what it is we are searching for. There are many definitions of love. Magazines, television, music, pop culture all say that love is a feeling or that love=sex or that the way to find love is through the right kind of self-image.

The overnight and weekend retreats provide youth with a more intense retreat experience by taking them out of their regular environment and helping them to think seriously about their relationship with God. They will hear powerful talks that will present them with the message of Jesus Christ and how to live as a Christian. These talks will include teachings on how to pray, why the sacraments are important, the necessity of Christian friends, getting involved in serving the community, and making a daily decision to follow Jesus. In addition, weekend and overnight retreats provide young people with more individual time with other retreatants and with the team.

The host parish is responsible for arranging for the meals and lodging needed for these retreats. If beds are not available, have the retreatants bring sleeping bags to sleep on the floor or consider having the retreatants return home for the night. The host parish will also need to contact a priest to be available for the weekend Liturgy.