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| At the recent Frassati Fest, there was a live recording of the Freshly Brewed podcast. People can listen to it at www.freshlybrewedmedia.com From left are: Lindsay Finn, Meghan Bonham, Fr. Greg Ihm, Beth Krebsbach, and Dan Krebsbach. (Contributed photo) |
WISCONSIN DELLS — At the beginning of February, approximately 350 high school teens and chaperones gathered together at the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells to attend the 21st annual “Frassati Fest.”
This youth gathering is named after Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was from Italy and died at a young age. He is the patron of this event.
Grow in faith and friendship
This annual retreat offers a place for teens to encounter Jesus Christ and grow in faith and friendship with Catholic teens from all across the Diocese of Madison.
“Everyone at Frassati Fest has inspired me. It is just so awesome to see so many people who are the same age, who all share the same faith, and want to practice it,” said a teen from Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg.
This year’s theme was “REVEAL,” centering the retreat around the idea of how God has revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus Christ.
The weekend-long retreat kicked off on Friday, Jan. 31, with some fun team-building games in small group rooms with teens from different parishes, followed by the opening session.
Games, testimony
The opening session had lots in store for all attending, including games such as “Will the real Frassati please stand up?” and “Scripture, Saint, or Kanye?” as well as a great opening talk from one of the keynote speakers for the weekend, Dan Krebsbach, who was accompanied by his wife, Beth Krebsbach, our other keynote speaker for the weekend.
The night concluded with a teen testimony, before teens returned to their rooms with their parishes to participate in “parish time,” and further grow in their relationships with Christ and one another as a smaller faith community.
A teen from St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison said, “The time that I spent with my parish, I did not anticipate having that much fun talking about the highest and lowest points of our days.”
Talks, Adoration, Confession, activities
After a (hopefully) good night’s rest, Saturday began bright and early with a catered breakfast and more fun games in the small group rooms.
The events of the day continued with men and women’s talks, where each group had the opportunity to listen to another teen testimony and keynote talk on a topic specific to them.
After the keynote talks was what, for many, is the highlight of the weekend:
Adoration and Confession. A teen from Holy Mother of Consolation Parish in Oregon said, “An unexpected joy that I had was Confession. I was really nervous about going, but the feeling I had after Confession was just amazing and made me realize I have to go more.”
While Adoration was taking place, 18 priests from across the diocese came to the Kalahari to hear Confessions from the 350 teens in attendance. I was inspired by all of the priests who took time to spend with the youth and to administer the sacraments.
After an eventful morning, a five-hour break was provided for taking part in some of the many fun activities available, such as going to the waterpark, watching a movie, playing more games, a senior panel, and parish dinners.
Despite the busy morning and afternoon, the day was far from over. Saturday night was filled with even more awesome activities, including breakout sessions covering topics such as modesty, prayer, vocation, the Mass, Baptism, and much more.
Mass with bishop
Mass was celebrated by a very special guest, Bishop Donald J. Hying.
“Bishop Hying inspired me the most. His ability and gift to convey exactly what you need to hear in such a beautiful and relaxed manner is nothing more than the Holy Spirit at work,” said a teen from Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona.
Last, but certainly not least, there was a dance party. This was a great opportunity to meet more teens from around the diocese and have a whole lot of fun!
Breakout sessions, talk
Although the weekend was coming to a close, Sunday morning still had plenty to offer. After a delicious breakfast, even more breakout sessions were offered for teens to learn from adult speakers and grow in their faith.
Finally, before officially concluding the weekend, another inspiring keynote talk was given to encourage the teens to continue to live out and grow in their faith as they left the retreat and returned to the “real world.”
This year’s retreat offered so many opportunities for the teens who attended to encounter Jesus Christ, grow in their faith, and cultivate a great faith community with those around them.
From Confession and Adoration, to Mass, to the inspiring faith and testimony of the speakers, there were so many occasions to receive God’s grace, love, and mercy.
After Frassati Fest, I want to live my life for God more, and I want to love people the way God loves us, and I don’t want to give up on my faith.
Sara Christenson is a senior in high school and a member of Holy Mother of Consolation Parish in Oregon.