NET Team 10, of the National Evangelization Team (NET) facilitated a collaborative Confirmation Retreat at Saint Patrick Catholic Church the weekend of December 10 – 11, 2016 for 26 youth from Saint Patrick Catholic Church and 7 youth from the Church of the Visitation or Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
What is a NET?
NET Ministries challenges young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. Every August, 150 young Catholics aged 18-28 leave behind their jobs, school, family, and friends to devote nine months to serving with the National Evangelization Teams (NET).
Divided into 14 teams, Net Ministries travel across the U.S. for nine months to share the Gospel with young people and their families. Since 1981, NET teams have led over 29,000 retreats and ministered to more than 1.7 million young Catholics.
Our Pastoral Assistants for Youth Group and Confirmation Were Net Volunteers
Anna and Joe Skillman— Pastoral Assistants for Youth Group and 
Confirmation at Saint Patrick Catholic Church both volunteered for NET Ministries after college and had a great time, noting that, “getting to know the host families was one of their favorite parts of the experience.” Now they reach out to NET Ministries for Confirmation and Youth Ministry retreats.
The Retreat
The theme of the 2-day retreat was Jesus. Day one started with a talk on “True Happiness & Fulfillment” followed by a discussion on “the Righteousness Found in Jesus.”
Day two started with 8:30 A.M. Mass at Saint Patrick Catholic Church. After Mass, Father Jerry Graham provided the Sacrament of Confession for the retreatants. The day ended with a talk about how Confirmation is part of the process of finding true happiness and hulfilment in Jesus.
The Sacramental Journey Digs Deep
In closing, Joe Skillman, Pastoral Assistant for Youth Group and Youth Confirmation noted, “the youth might come home a bit crabby because they will be worn out from lack of sleep and being asked to think hard about things. But, have faith. In time there will be prolonged joy from the experience and especially from the sacrament itself.”
