A weekend away
Between December 13 and 15, eleven young adults from St. Philip's parish participated to a retreat lead by Sr. Evarlyne and Sr. Suany. Nine of them are preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation.
Sr. Suany shares how they organized the retreat and how the youth participated.
“We organized prayers, sharing, holy hour, and quiet reflection. Father Mkhonta and Father Peterson attended their confession, which was a blessing for all of them.
It was amazing how the group was engaged to the proposal presented for this retreat; their openness of heart and mind, their joyful presence, their freedom of sharing, their simplicity and confidence of expose their lives, their challenges, fragility, but also their hope, faith and capacity to go forth…all these show us how God’s Love is present in each moment of our lives.
The gratitude of heart is our feeling; thank God for being with us revealing your Tender Face to us through this wonderful experience of faith and love. You know you continue to guide us, hold our hands, and strengthen us to go forward to do your will”.
Mangaliso Simelane, who was invited to attend the retreat, shares how he lived the experience.
“They say that a retreat is either a place or time which signifies peace, quietness, and privacy. On a retreat one can study, meditate, and pray with the greatest of calm and focus. Away from everything, in the absence of disturbing realities, that's when you can hear God clearly. God being God decided that He was going to send the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to bless 11 of us (young adults from St. Philip's Parish, Eswatini) with a retreat at the peaceful residence of Tubungu. After running a yearlong catechism program at our Parish, this group of young adults was ready for the sacrament of Confirmation. Going away for a retreat was part of the preparation and it was a great blessing to all those who took part.
Even though I wasn’t part of the confirmation group, I was invited to join the group for the weekend retreat. I did not know what to expect since it was an invitation. I was given a name to pray for prior to the retreat and I was asked to find a meaningful gift for this special person. We were well taken care of from the first to the last day and most importantly we were spiritually nourished. The context of the whole retreat was mind blowing and spiritually enriching. There were 6 themes which were presented by selected retreatants which included why we are here, relationship with self, relationship with others, relationship with God, love in action, and going forth.
As I continue embracing my Catholic Faith, I am reminded that it is a journey filled with profound meaning and spiritual growth. This journey is enriched by the traditions, teachings, and community that form the core of Catholicism. I appreciate all the teachings I have received so far since they help me in recognition of my faith. I couldn’t help relating to most of them. They all draw me in and help me to have a wonderful relationship with God. Reflecting on the shared themes of the retreat, they all connected with our faith. They all were touching stories about the group which even made me feel like my story in this world was not so much of a sad story. I felt there were many other people like me out there with humbling and touching backgrounds, with some who had been through the worst but never cease to smile.
Within the retreat I was reminded to pray before and after everything I did. I was reminded that prayer can be just the tool to set the mode on "everything is wonderful!" We prayed all the time and I could feel my spirit at ease. For the weekend I had no problems to worry about. For the weekend I had no issues of a confusing future to worry about. Love was the language around me which brought about inner peace and made me pray that it never ended with us. It is through this weekend that I was encouraged to discern more about my vocation. Within the group there was a married couple that presented their story of marriage. This gave the balance to my heart so not to be biased when I thought of priesthood. Overall, the retreat to me reflected the glamour of the life of the consecrated through the sharing of wisdom and love of God. My personal prayer was for the group not to vanish after the Confirmation ceremony, but exist to carry on the responsibility of extending the love of God to others and maybe become facilitators of another group to come”.
