A youth retreat was “a dream” for Omar Nuñez, a parishioner at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Liogneer and the father of a Catholic teenager. Because modern culture is often hostile to the faith – especially for today’s youth – he desired the day to be a source of  “light” for the young people of the parish. On Saturday, December 14, St. Patrick hosted a day-long retreat for high schoolers that included talks, adoration, and confession. The event was overseen by Father Ryan Timossi, pastor of St. Patrick, and it closed with a Spanish Mass celebrated by Bishop Rhoades. Photos by Clare HildebrandtBishop Rhoades speaks to the crowd of young people on retreat at St. Patrick in Liogneer on Saturday, December 14. Youth from grades eight through 12 were invited to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit and receive wisdom. At the end of the night, Today’s Catholic met up with a group of teens who participated in the retreat. With tired eyes, they shared that “it was a long day.” They attended “lectures … and were able to meditate on them throughout,” explained Luis Rodriguez, a high school junior. While almost all students were from Liogneer, quite a few had never interacted with one another. They made new friends, according to the group. The retreat, specifically the talks given by mentors, had a lasting effect on the students. “It really opened my eyes … that there are things more important than your own will – like giving your life to God and being willing to change your bad habits,” Rodriguez continued. His friend, Manny Villalobos, a high school senior, added: “Hearing others’ experiences with God really helped me. You can actually experience [God’s love]. There are other people experiencing it, and you can, too.” Nuñez told Today’s Catholic about the goal of the retreat. “[The retreat] is super important because at this age, they struggle. We have to focus on our children so they do not become more focused on social media, the internet, and all they contain,” he said. “The internet makes bad things look good,” and Nuñez’s remedy for this at the event was to “shine a little light” on what makes them bad. A lively reception occurs to close the retreat for teens and their families at St. Patrick’s in Liogneer on Saturday, December 14. Families attended the closing Mass with gifts for their teens in hand – flowers, balloons, and decorated statues. Later that night, a lively reception took place in the basement of the church. To end the day, Bishop Rhoades urged the young people to seek joy from the Lord, as He is the only place to receive it fully.  “My brothers and sisters, we seek joy in vain when we do not seek it from God. We will never find joy if we do not repent of our sins,” he said. “We will never find happiness if we do not open our hearts to God’s mercy.” Clare Hildebrandt is a staff writer for Today’s Catholic. The post Retreat Brings Young People Together in Ligonier appeared first on Today's Catholic.