The youth group at St. Teresa of Avila, Prospect Heights, locked themselves in over night with the Bensonhurst Youth Cluster.
The event, hosted by Kenny Wodzanowski of the Bensonhurst Youth Cluster, helped the Bensonhurst youth and the St. Teresa E.P.I.C. youth break barriers between themselves and others and between themselves and God.
The theme of the retreat was “Leadership: Thrive, not just Survive.”
“I learned to have courage, to get back up when people put me down,” said Jeanvielle Sancya. “I felt enriched when I got home.”
“This retreat was a truly amazing experience that I will never forget,” said McGeorge Jean-Baptiste, a junior leader. “We learned, we laughed and we loved each other as a family. I would like to thank everyone who made this retreat possible.”
The retreat taught “us that we must not settle for the bare minimum and to always try our best in whatever we do,” said Felicia Caesar, junior leader.
“We also discussed what it really means to be a leader. A leader is someone who can step up when needed but also work well with others and know when to let others show their talents as well. I wish it could have lasted longer, but I am looking forward to the next retreat!” Caesar said.
Candice Joseph, vice president of E.P.I.C., said the retreat was exactly what she needed to step away from her hectic schedule.
“I am a junior in high school, and there is so much work to be done, from looking for colleges, finding out what you want to do in life and just regular school work in general; it’s pretty tough,” she said.
“Going into this overnight retreat, I expected to get closer to Jesus and to let go of reality for a bit. I got what I expected, because not only did I get closer to the Lord, but I also learned more about myself as a leader! No, not a bossy leader but a leader in charge of myself. I learned that you have to know what you’re capable of to be a leader and you also have to listen and help others to lead them in the right direction. Everything is better together, and with God, anything and everything is possible. This retreat really helped me spiritually and emotionally. Spiritually because I now have so much more faith in God and emotionally because I feel like now I can be a better person, attitude wise, to other people. I had a great experience on this retreat, and I can’t wait for the next one! Literally it felt like a piece of Heaven! Imagine what Heaven is really like!”