I am starting to get excited now about a new opportunity I volunteered for. Every year in this diocese, the youth come together for a weekend retreat. Up till this year, it was called Youth 2000. This year, they renamed it Source and Summit, meaning that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. It is based on a national movement aimed at bring focus back to the Eucharist, especially for young people.
Last year, when I moved here, the people who organize the retreat caught wind that I was a new music director and a guitarist, so they invited me to be on the team as a musician. I had a great time. The spirit and energy of the retreat was inspiring and moving. Several of Good Shepherd's kids were there and I got to know quite a few people from around the area.
This year, I was called to head up the music for a new component to the weekend. In an effort to integrate the kids families, there will be a parent's component to the weekend. So, while the youth retreat is in full swing, parents are invited to attend mini-retreats of their own (three in total, lasting about four hours each). Many of the same talks and activities will be used so the parents understand what their children are experiencing. We are also going to use much of the same music - high spirited, contemporary Christian worship music. The fun part will be teaching the parents all the hand motions and movements involved. Then, to wrap it all together, everyone is invited to attend the closing mass on Sunday together.
If you are interested in seeing a little more of what this weekend is about, click here and you will be taken to the site hosted by a local parish. Here are a couple pictures from last year's retreat as well, kids dancing and singing.
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