240 teens consider their ‘call to holiness’ at diocesan youth retreat

By New Outlook

On Saturday, February 17, 2024, more than 240 Catholic teens from across the Diocese of Tucson gathered at St. Augustine Catholic High School for a day retreat titled, El Camino to Easter. Journeying from Tucson, Yuma, Morenci, Safford, Miami, and Coolidge, these teens joined in fellowship to consider their unique call to holiness.

“Crafted by 15 passionate young adults from diverse communities, this event was designed to guide and inspire teens to understand God's call to holiness,” said Fr. Manu Franco-Gomez, O.Carm., the Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Tucson. “Throughout the day, teens explored the various vocations that God invites us to embrace—religious life, priesthood, marriage, or consecrated single life. The sessions provided insights, discussions, and moments of prayer to help teens uncover God's invitation to partake in the works of his kingdom.”

Bishop Edward Weisenburger joined the teens for the day, beginning with morning prayer. Teens were invited to consider their own God-given character traits and how God might be calling them to use these gifts to glorify the Lord and serve the Church. They had the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, after learning how to make a good examination of conscience. 

The diocesan youth retreat was sponsored by St. Augustine Catholic High School, Diocese of Tucson's Vocations Office, the Gallegos Endowment, Catholic Foundation, The Catholic University of America-Tucson, whose students also helped to lead the retreat alongside young adults from St. Augustine Cathedral, St. Monica, and St. Anthony of Padua parishes. Leaders and fellow teens shared stories about their own lives in a series of talks about the merciful love of God, overcoming obstacles to faith, and pursuing holiness through all walks of life.

Reflecting on John 2:5, “Do whatever he tells you,” teens began considering what vocation God is calling them to. They heard from panelists representing the various vocations: Fr. Alan Valencia for priesthood; Sr. Veronica Loya, IHM, for women’s religious life; Fr. Paul Henson, O.Carm., for men’s religious life; Mark and Carissa Krautscheid for sacramental marriage; and Cesar Gonzalez consecrated single life.

Sharing some advice for teens as they discern, Carissa Krautscheid said, “Discernment is like a scavenger hunt: you have to seek God’s clues along the way to point you in the right direction. Your vocation is the avenue by which you are going to love God the most and help bring about the Kingdom of Heaven. God has a specific plan for you because he knows what you need to be holy. If you let him, God will use these beautiful Vocations to refine you into a saint. That’s what we’re all called to.”

Teens learned about saints like Blessed Carlo Acutis, who was 15 when he died of leukemia, the same age as many of the retreat participants. Though he was young, Blessed Carlo used his own God-given talents with technology to share information about Eucharistic miracles. Leading into Eucharistic Adoration, the teens were challenged to understand the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Fr. Manu said, “This retreat gave teens the chance to deepen their faith and discover the insights that have helped Catholics discover the roads to sainthood.”