Throughout life, there are few opportunities where one can go from climbing a rock wall to praying in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a matter of minutes.
That is unless you’re at Camp Gray — the year-round retreat center and summer camp of the Diocese of Madison located in Reedsburg.
From April 25 to 27, about 50 teens gathered at Camp Gray for a high school retreat weekend where they had copious numbers of opportunities to go on adventures around camp, make new friends, and grow closer to the Lord.
The weekend was to mark the April 27 Jubilee for Teenagers as part of the Jubilee Year of Faith.
One teen said, “My favorite experience was that even though you do fun things like rock climbing, hiking, small groups, and s’mores, you still encounter God through those moments.”
Camp Gray’s mission is “To Know Christ and Make Him Known”.
This is something Camp Gray strives to introduce to the hearts of those who enter Camp’s grounds.
It is a simple and challenging message that calls us to more, and a message that high schoolers from the Diocese of Madison and beyond were invited to contemplate in several ways throughout the retreat weekend.
Teens had the opportunity to go to Mass, Adoration, Confession, pray the Rosary, and have silent time to pray.
They also were led in contemplating the Faith on a deeper level as they heard talks from the retreat leaders who spoke about their own lived experiences in coming to know the Lord.
Camp staff led talks on the reality that Jesus is God, the Eucharist, and how we can be fully alive through living our relationship with the Lord.
Through each of these, a high schooler on the retreat said, “I was able to build a deeper understanding of how Jesus views us and that He wants to love and know each and every one of us.”
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison also came to join the high schoolers on Saturday, to speak on living a life close to Christ and to celebrate Mass.
During his talk, he spoke about the life and witness of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager from Italy who helped introduce many to Jesus through his life, and a website he created showcasing Eucharistic miracles.
Throughout Bishop Hying’s talk, he referenced the life that Blessed Carlo lived, that he was a teen who enjoyed spending time with friends, playing video games, playing Pokémon, and whose evident love for the Lord was infused into every aspect of his normal life.
Bishop Hying laughed and said, “He is probably going to be the first canonized saint to have ever worn a Spider-Man costume”.
The bishop spoke of how Blessed Carlo used the gifts the Lord had given him to spread the joy of the Gospel to all whom he encountered, and how his life even brought his own parents closer to the Lord.
He was a teen who had normal interests, who led a normal life, and who will soon be a canonized saint.
As Bishop Hying was saying this, a painted portrait and a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis stood at the front of the chapel.
In the Diocese of Madison, young people are searching for their purpose. Ultimately what they are searching for is the Lord.
Through this retreat, they were able to encounter simple ways they could incorporate their faith into their daily lives, while also being profoundly impacted by the presence of Christ, Himself, in the Eucharist, something Blessed Carlo frequently enjoyed doing.
One teen who attended the retreat said, “I am reinvigorated in my love and relationship with Christ, and I’m inspired to bring faith into more aspects of my life.”
It was such a joy to have had these high schoolers participate and dive deeper into their relationship with the Lord and celebrate their lived faith throughout the entirety of the weekend.
Blessed Carlo Acutis — pray for us!