CV NEWS FEED // An annual Eucharistic retreat in Maryland left over 1,500 high schoolers with a heightened appreciation for their faith earlier this month.
The Catholic Review reported that several high schoolers were “eager to share special moments” and encounters with God from the Mount 2000 three-day retreat.
“One of my favorite parts was getting to witness how God was working in the hearts and lives of those around me whether it was through Mass or adoration, or even through conversations I had,” one student told The Catholic Review. “This was an incredible weekend.”
“Walking out of the second day, which started at 8:30 a.m. and ended around 10:30 p.m., I looked at a buddy of mine and realized neither of us had been on our phones all day and we’d been talking, connecting and praying all day and it was the best we’ve ever felt,” another student said. “Mount 2000 will push you to wrestle with the tough questions you have for God.”
The retreat is hosted by Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In addition to 153 seminarians, almost 40 men and women religious, 25 priests, and 70 volunteers worked to put the retreat together for the high schoolers.
This year, the theme was Luke 12:49: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”
Baltimore Archbishop William Lori told high schoolers at the closing Mass that “fire” means finding their purpose in life.
“Life changes when we know our purpose, when we can look at what we are doing, especially when it is hard, and then we say, ‘This is why I was sent. This is what I was meant to do.’ That kind of life is ‘fire,’” he said, according to The Catholic Review.
“My young friends, the Lord invites you to that kind of life—he is calling you to follow him, he is inviting you to share in his mission,” Lori continued. “He is sending you to set the earth on fire with the power of his love.”
