Moville parish hosts Crossroads confirmation retreat

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
February 2, 2006

MOVILLE - Confirmation candidates from six parishes in the Diocese of Sioux City attended a retreat at Immaculate Conception Church in Moville.

According to Father Mark Stoll, pastor at Immaculate Conception, Briar Cliff students facilitated a retreat titled Crossroads. About 70 confirmation candidates, who are freshmen to juniors in high school, attended the retreat. These high school students are parishioners at Immaculate Conception and its cluster parish St. Michael Parish as well as the four parishes that make up the Union Cluster consisting of Hartley St. Joseph, St. Anthony Primghar, St. Cecilia Sanborn and Sacred Heart Sutherland.

He pointed out that the DRE at Immaculate Conception, Beth Roberts, had approached him about the Crossroads retreat. The pastor willingly agreed to it as they require a couple retreats or youth ministry activities and they wanted to offer one on-site. As a cluster parish, Kingsley requested to attend the retreat and then the Union Cluster joined them as they had wanted to participate in the Crossroads retreat.

"The focus of the retreat is confirmation based. It is geared toward making correct decisions as an adult," noted Father Stoll. "I think they got a lot out of it. The students were very cooperative and attentive."

He said some of the students were a little apprehensive before the retreat began because some didn't know what to expect, but it didn't take long for them to become comfortable with the format.

Sister Janet May, director of campus ministry at Briar Cliff, attended the retreat with 15 college student faciliators.

"Crossroads stands for that students at this age are making a decision - they are affirming their Catholic faith through their confirmation," she said. "It is their decision whether they want to be confirmed and we emphasis that. We also talk about how there are various crossroads in their own lives when they need to make good decisions. Some of our talks focus on being at a crossroads and do we choose to follow Jesus or do we follow the temptations of the world."

They also pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit to help students make good choices.

She pointed out that the retreat in Moville is one of seven confirmation retreats that the college students will lead this year. One of the others will be presented on-site at Gehlen High School in Le Mars, but the others have been or will be held on the university's campus.

"It's a great way for college students to interact with high school students," said Sister Janet. "They are facing the same challenges. They know the world that the high school students are growing up in."

Beth Roberts, DRE at Immaculate Conception, was very pleased with the experience, describing it as a high quality retreat. She has heard many positive comments.

"It let the students (high school) know that they are making choices now," she said. "At this point, they are making decisions by the choices they make."

One of her students commented that they liked the fact that it was led by Briar Cliff students because they were closer in age to them.

Roberts said that sometimes that helps for the message to come through clearer.

"I can't say enough good things about the Briar Cliff students. They gave up their Sunday afternoon. It was wonderful," she said.

Jerica Dirksen, a confirmation candidate from the Kingsley parish, said this was the best retreat she has ever attended. She would encourage other youth to attend a Crossroads retreat.

"At this one, they actually told us stories about the experiences they have had and how they dealt with it and what happened to change their lives," she said. "The group leaders were fun to talk to. They made it comfortable."

Dirksen said it gave her more ideas as to what she will do after confirmation such as becoming involved in mission trips.

Marie Washburn, DRE at St. Michael's, thought that it would be good to expose the confirmation candidates from Kingsley to a retreat experience that was attended by youth from other parishes and one that was led by college students.

"Sometimes they can pick up more info in a retreat than in a classroom. It is a different way of presenting things," she said. The college students told the younger students the same things that adults try to tell them, but because they are more in peer group, it expected to make more of an impression.

Washburn noted that the college students were good role models to the high schoolers as they told their stories and spoke about their continued involvement in the church.

"Some of the kids think that once they are confirmed, that they don't have to learn anymore. These students from Briar Cliff were talking about the life-long experience of going on mission trips and doing things for others," she said. "It doesn't stop when you get confirmed."

The Briar Cliff students led the retreat through talks, music, prayer and activities.

"They divided the students into about 15 small groups. It was a mix of students because a student from every parish was involved. Very few groups had more than two from the same parish," noted Father Stoll. "Then Briar Cliff students were moderators at each small group and led the discussion."

In one of the talks, the pastor said it had a great impact as the college student spoke through personal experiences relating to the struggles in high school and college he had faced in dealing with communication issues with parents and other pressures relating to drinking and sex.

"He talked about going through that - making some bad choices and then how the spirit has helped him turn his life around," he said.

Father Stoll said the retreat gave the high school students some spiritual encouragement and understanding about what they are doing and decisions they are making as they approach confirmation.

He found value not only in the retreat itself, but also in the fact that his young parishioners were able to meet, pray together and experience the spirit with those from five other parishes. It allowed them to see that their faith goes beyond their parish.

The retreat started at noon and concluded at 4:30 p.m., followed by a pizza party.