Parish Lenten retreat brings youth together in prayer

IC photo/Laura Vallejo

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Sts. Peter and Paul Parish celebrated a Lenten retreat for youth March 13, with 50 young people participating. Shown is Fr. Sebastien Sasa Nganomo, the parish administrator, celebrating Lauds with the participants.

WEST VALLEY CITY – Fifty young adults gathered at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church to celebrate a special Youth Lenten Retreat.

Maintaining social distancing, wearing face masks and keeping all the safety measurements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the youth gathered on March 13 for a half day under the theme “Walk with Jesus, Your Friend.”

Parishioners Martina and Cristobal Herrera served as the retreat masters and presented talks aimed at allowing the attendees to get to know Jesus better. The parish choir offered worship songs that helped the youth immerse themselves in the experience.

 Fr. Sebastien Sasa Nganomo, the parish administrator, welcomed the participants, saying that the retreat was a chance to pray together.

“We have asked the Holy Spirit to be with us because today is a special day for us,” he said.

Emphasizing that without the Holy Spirit people cannot do anything, Fr. Sasa said that he was excited and grateful for the attendance that day.

At the beginning of the retreat, Martina Herrera asked the participants to introduce themselves and greet each other. Then, “In this encounter we are going to get to know Jesus more deeply as we know our good friends,” she said.

Narrating how Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph, was born in Bethlehem in a humble manger, Herrera described Christ’s early days.

“God wanted to share him with us so we could get to know him. He came to be our friend, to be close to us so we can be in communion with him,” she said, adding that Jesus was present that day “so we have that deeper friendship with him.”

People usually know their friends well, she continued. “We know their favorite food, their favorite color. … We can speak with confidence what we know about him/her, but lots of times we don’t know Jesus as well.”

Giving advice on how to get to know Jesus better, Herrera said that Christ is always walking next to everyone, and his love is unconditional.

“So today we are getting to know Jesus better. Since you entered through those doors here today, he was hugging you, he was next to you. ... Since that moment you have started getting to know him better,” she said. “Jesus gives you his friendship, his unconditional love. Jesus is always with you in the good and in the bad. He loves you no matter what.”

The Herreras also explained the three pillars of Lent: almsgiving, prayer and fasting.

“In these times we have to be aware of the needs of the people to be able to help them; that is also a way of almsgiving, so we can keep preparing for the special time of Easter. … There is no bigger love than giving your life for the ones that you love, and that’s what our friend Jesus did,” she said.

Many of the retreat participants appreciated being able to attend the retreat.

“Despite all the challenges that we are living in today’s world, being here is a great joy,” said Alan Jacque, one of the retreat participants. “We are living in a world that the possibility of attending an in-person retreat was very small, so being here today is just wonderful.”

Today’s youth are losing focus in the Catholic Church, he said. “They are out there confused about life. … All the youth can change when they attend this type of retreat.”