SALT LAKE CITY — For the first time the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry presented a two-day Lenten retreat in Spanish for young adults in their 20s and 30s.
The retreat took place March 7-8 at the Wasatch retreat and conference center. Young adults from the parishes of St. Francis of Assisi in Orem, St. Joseph the Worker in West Jordan and St. Francis Xavier in Kearns attended the retreat. The presenters were Holy Cross Sr. Veronica Fajardo from Holy Cross Ministries, and Jacky Capella, a certified lay ecclesial minister from the diocese’s EMAUS program.
“This is something new for me,” Monica Sandoval, a St. Joseph the Worker parishioner, said about attending the retreat.
Motivated by her mother’s example, Sandoval always wanted to attend a retreat, but this was the first time she decided to do it, she said.
“My mom, back in Mexico, used to attend many retreats and I always wondered about them, because she used to tell me how beautiful and life-changing it was,” Sandoval said.
Now that she has experienced a retreat herself, she is happy to have done so, she said.
“The theme of the retreat also captivated my attention and attracted me,” Sandoval said.
Although the theme was “Women Through the Salvation History,” the retreat was attended by young men as well as women.
Fabian Flores, another St. Joseph the Worker parishioner, said that attending the retreat gave him a different perspective on the Catholic faith.
“As youth it is important to learn and to keep on learning, and in here we have heard about themes such as the women being pillars of our faith,” he said.
This type of event is important because youth and young adults now more than ever are looking for answers to all their faith questions, Sr. Veronica said.
“These are very good spaces so they can ask and clarify all their inquietudes,” she said, adding that in this retreat based on the women, “we have seen how Virgin Mary is key in the history of salvation, and how they can apply this to keep growing and learning in their faith journey.”
The overnight retreat gave the participants the opportunity “to meditate using the Scriptures, to have solitude but at the same time accompaniment,” Sr. Veronica said.
The retreat included the celebration of Sunday Mass. Fr. Eleazar Silva, parochial vicar of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, was the celebrant.
During his homily, Fr. Silva mentioned the strength and leadership of many women throughout salvation history. He also gave the example of how one of his dear friends one day told him how, while cutting cloth, if you focus only the immediate path and not the end, “you will for sure go off track.”
In a similar way, “When Jesus transfigured himself in front of his disciples, he showed them what the goal was,” said Fr. Silva, adding that Jesus also showed the purpose of his life after the Resurrection.
“Human life can be very pretty,” Fr. Silva said. “Jesus wanted us to know what God wants for us, and it’s not just some miracles to sustain our faith. It’s way beyond that. … God wants us to live the same life that he lives, that we share all, that we have all, that we know, that we can have that. He will provide all that we need to accomplish that goal to live with God.”
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