Jesus on the Trails

Article by: Cristal J. Garcia, Youth Retreat Director

There are so many parts to a retreat: the introduction, the presentations, activities, confessions, mass, adoration, praise and worship, and so much more. All of these must come together gracefully; this way a sacred space can be created giving way for an organic encounter with God. I always make it a priority to use every available area to create these spaces and one of my favorites are the trails on campus. With so many beautiful trails, one of the top five things teens always ask us is “when are we going hiking”?

Being outdoors and in nature is always a big part of our retreats; we don’t want to miss an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the beauty that God has gifted us. One way we have used this very gift is by incorporating activities during our hiking excursions.

Sometimes these take the form of reflective meditation and other times they are full blown team activities set-up on the trails for our retreatants to complete. We call these our Biblical Story Illustration Activities. We use this time to expand on the theme and main points of the retreat. On the trail, they will find stations that are made up of several components such as an activity, small group question, and the retreat theme reflection.

Creating these activities and using the trails as a means for teens to think about the different ways Jesus calls to them has truly been one of the many highlights of their retreat. This is especially true because sometimes they think the only place they can find God is inside the chapel, when truly He is in every space. It really is a blessing to see them connect with Jesus in a beautiful natural space.

I love seeing and hearing the teens expressions of the trail activities; it is always a hit! With such a beautiful campus, how can we not use every part available to give way for all our young people to grow in their spiritual journey.