Before any Super Bowl Sunday plans during the weekend of Feb. 6 to 8, the confirmation classes of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in the Oak Ridge neighborhhood of Jefferson, N.J., St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J., and Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Lake Hopatcong, also in Jefferson, gathered at the Sacred Heart Center in Newton, N.J., for an Antioch retreat weekend.
The Antioch retreat is the highlight of the year for St. Thomas’ and St. John Vianney’s shared youth ministry program. Leaders in 11th and 12th grade and adult volunteers from their 20s to their 60s staff the retreat team. Starting every October, the group meets weekly at the parishes’ Rev. Matthew J. Twiggs Youth Ministry Center in Stockholm to prepare for the weekend.
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The Antioch weekend centers around witness talks, where leaders reflect on the role faith plays in their lives. Following each talk, the high school leaders lead small groups, giving retreatants and leaders alike the opportunity for faith sharing. This sharing in peer groups is a vital component of faith formation during adolescence, a stage of development characterized by the increased importance of peer relationships, and the development of the young person’s ability to think abstractly about morality.
“The increase in interest in faith and this group’s growth in spirituality in the past three or so years is like nothing I’ve seen in my years as a deacon. It gives me hope for the future of our Church” said Deacon Kevin Combs, the permanent deacon assigned to St. Thomas the Apostle and St. John Vianney parishes and a high school theology teacher at the Academy of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, N.J.
The Antioch weekend is deeply rooted in the Sacraments. Deacon Combs guided the 40 sophomores, juniors, and seniors through Eucharistic adoration on Friday night. Father Ben Williams, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle and St. John Vianney, and Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, were joined by Father Edward Rama, pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Wharton, N.J., to hear confessions on Saturday.
The weekend concluded with a family Mass concelebrated by Father Williams and Father McDonnell on Sunday afternoon. Lee Hlavacek, the director of religious education of Star of the Sea, delivered the final witness talk of the weekend before the Mass, sharing both a catechesis on the Eucharist and a personal witness of her faith journey.
This is the second year that Star of the Sea has joined St. Thomas the Apostle and St. John Vianney on their Antioch weekend. Children from the Oak Ridge and Lake Hopatcong sides of Jefferson Township as well as parts of Stockholm attend school, play sports, and participate in many other activities together through elementary and middle school. The Antioch weekend gave this group an opportunity to grow together in faith and deepen their bonds of community as well.
For many in attendance, retreatants and leaders alike, the highlight of the retreat occurred during “phone-free” free time on Saturday afternoon. A few gifted retreatants sat at the piano, playing pop songs by ear while their peers sang, and the sun set behind the mountains surrounding the Sacred Heart Center.
Alyssa Carolan is director of faith formation and youth ministry at St. Thomas the Apostle and St. John Vianney parishes.
