Greetings from the road!!

We, Retreat Team 1, have been having a blast here in Beautiful British Columbia! We have made the rounds all throughout the Archdiocese of Vancouver and going to different dioceses like Prince George, Nelson, Kamloops, and Victoria. We’ve gone from Dawson Creek to Victoria and everything in between. We’ve seen mountains, beaches, hills, oceans, and desert-like lands. The flora and scenery in BC is truly like none other in the country. 

As a team, we’ve had the opportunity to tour around and explore a lot of these places. We saw a lot of wildlife on our drives from city to city and even got the chance to hold some crabs at a beach in Prince Rupert. For many on the team, it was the first time getting to see the Pacific Ocean and that was quite exciting. We also got to spend all of Holy Week in Vancouver and it was during the cherry blossom season so the view was beautiful there too. During Holy Week, we also took time to reflect on the Passion and to have our own team retreat on Good Friday. It was really nice to have that opportunity to really enter into and ponder the importance of Holy Week.

We’ve been able to see the season change from Winter to Spring and the liturgical season change from Lent to Easter. This change in the seasons had me thinking about how we can be more closely united with Christ. Throughout Lent, the identity of the Church as the Bride of Christ really resonated with me and I thought about how a bride must be one with her groom and resemble her groom. In the Bible it says “whoever says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked.“ (1 John 2:6) Jesus walked to Calvary and must also walk with Him and seek to imitate and resemble Him. The more we resemble Christ in His suffering, the more we will resemble Him in His glory. So let us seek and desire to share in Jesus’ passion and cross so that we may share in the glory of his resurrection! 

And speaking of glory, we have had so many glory stories and mission moments! During one of our retreats, a girl in Grace’s small group shared that was from a different religion but that she didn’t believe in God and that she wasn’t interested in having a relationship with God either. Then throughout the day, they talked about what a relationship with God looks like and afterwards, she said that she had never felt like she could share her feelings on faith with people genuinely and not be judged for it. She felt like the small group was a safe space. During the prayer time, she asked to be prayed with and asked as an intention to grow closer to God. In the final small group, she shared that she felt closer to God during that prayer time and that she felt God’s presence. When you first meet a youth, it can sometimes be difficult for us to imagine how the Lord is going to work in their hearts, but He always seems to find a way to let His glory shine through. 

Truly He is risen, Alleluia!

God Bless,

Retreat Team 1 (Chris, Grace, Ange, Anthony, John Paul, Kirk, Mikaila, Serena)