By Barb Arland-Fye
Two different retreats for teenagers in the Diocese of Davenport are being offered over the next couple of months.
Quest is an overnight retreat for freshmen and sophomores to learn more about loving themselves, God and others. COR (Christ in Others Retreat) is a weekend-long retreat for sophomores, juniors and seniors to reflect on family and relationships with other people in their lives. Both retreats seek to offer faith-filled experiences of fun and friendship.
The first Quest retreat is scheduled for Feb. 28-March 1 at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bettendorf. For more information, contact Joyce Kloft, youth minister, at (563) 359-0345 or by e-mail bettlourdesdre@diodav.org. The second Quest retreat is scheduled for March 7-8 at Immaculate Conception Parish in Colfax. For more information, contact Crystal DeNeve, faith formation director at St. Mary Parish in Grinnell, at (641) 236-8838 or grinnellstmarydre@diodav.org.
Three COR retreats are being held in March at various locations: March 6-8 at St. Joseph Parish, DeWitt. For information, call Pat Sheil, youth minister at St. Joseph, at (563) 659-3514, x104 or by e-mail at dewittstjosephym@diodav.org; March 14-16 at St. Patrick Parish in Ottumwa. For more information, contact Anna Hanson, director of religious ed/youth minister, at (641) 682-4496 or by e-mail at ottstpatym@diodav.org; March 27-29 at Holy Trinity, Keota. For more information, contact Georgia Gent at (319) 639-2550 or by e-mail at ggent@netins.net.
“The retreats are geared toward different age levels in recognition that youth have different cognitive abilities and also that they’re at different stages of faith development,” says Pat Finan, faith formation and youth ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Davenport.
Ideally, teens would attend Quest, followed by COR and then participate in Teens Encounter Christ (TEC), a retreat designed for juniors and seniors. Wherever they start, it helps when a friend or adult they know well at church suggests they try a retreat, Finan says.
“Youth ministry is all about meeting youth where they’re at and stretching them as they journey on the path toward where they need to be. A lot of that stretching has to happen at the parish level to help youth make that big first step.”
