TEC 283 was smooth, small, and a smashing success in so many ways. We welcomed 15 Catholic teens and one (not a teen) Catholic deacon to the TEC community at TEC 283 on Oct. 25-27, 2024, at St. Joseph Church & School, Quad Parishes, in Green Bay. Here are some of the reasons TEC 283 was such a smashing success.
Camaraderie at Catholic Youth Retreat
Joy was tangible at the TEC 283 Catholic youth retreat. The 10 Global Outreach students from four different Eastern and Central European countries were overjoyed to see one another again. Students traveled to Green Bay from their host-family homes in Stevens Point, Appleton, Chippewa Falls, and Eau Claire. They inspired us with their songs, faith sharing, enthusiasm, and care for one another. Anchor of Hope TEC grows its global community at every retreat we offer. What a blessing! The “American” TECites were such a blessing, too. Some of them had older brothers and sisters or moms and dads who are a part of the Green Bay TEC community. We love welcoming the next generation to Anchor of Hope TEC, and we love watching them grow in faith during the three-day weekend retreat.
20 Mighty, Faith-Filled Volunteers
In recent years, Anchor of TEC hasn’t had an abundant number of volunteers for the fall retreat. That changed this year. Through God’s grace, we were blessed with just the right number of Catholic volunteers (20) to lead the retreat. Our team was small but mighty! Everything ran smoothly. The prayer and witness talks were powerful, and the music and food were outstanding. Best of all, the volunteers had a chance to get away and grow in their own Catholic faith and understanding of God. By working together to serve others, we strengthened our unity as a retreat community. We got to know one another better as we took another step in our faith journey. TEC 283 deepened the volunteers’ relationship with Jesus and intensified their devotion to Jesus, the Catholic faith and the Eucharist.
Katie, one of our fantastic volunteers, writes a Catholic blog. Read more about this Catholic youth retreat and the desire to set the world on fire by our faith.
Vocations Awareness & Service by 2 Deacons
We were blessed to welcome Deacon Dan Gray to the TEC community as a volunteer. His Discipleship talk kept us laughing, touched our hearts, and got us thinking about our own path as Jesus’ disciples. Our Assistant Spiritual Director Mike Zebroski had the difficult assignment of explaining the Paschal Mystery to us. He also led our morning prayer, assisted at Mass, facilitated small group discussion, preached at our closing Mass, and set up and folded our sleeping cots (no easy task!). Whatever was asked of him, Deacon Mike was up to the challenge – and he inspired us by telling us about the challenges he has faced in life. What a blessing to have both deacons of the Green Bay Diocese as ministers on our TEC retreat.
Thanks to Our Spiritual Leader
And what a blessing to have Rev. Kevin Ripley of the Diocese of Green Bay Vocations Office as our Spiritual Director. Fr. Kevin led us with such grace and wisdom. He drew us closer to God, not just by his holiness and prayerfulness, but also by his warmth and sense of humor. Plus, we had an absolute blast at the TEC Olympics that he ran for us, including the customary Sock Race. We thank Fr. Kevin for being the Spiritual Director for TEC 283 and also the Spiritual Director of the Anchor of Hope TEC organization.
Focusing on Our Relationship with God
Thanks to everyone who made Anchor of Hope Catholic youth retreat such a smashing success. The weekend opened the eyes of our hearts to see Jesus in a new way. May God bless us as we continue to seek the Lord and walk in His ways.
