A month has already gone by since our retreat and yet it seems like we were just at the Sierra Club Foster Lodge in Mt. Laguna. I guess when something is that fun you remember it like it was yesterday.
We journeyed up the mountain on Friday night in various cars, giving us the opportunity to get to know the people in our car a little bit better. As people arrived we began to eat dinner and then came the icebreaker. We learned a little bit about everyone, discovering that the YAGS are a diverse group of people with many talents, such as wine making, hair cutting, and creating online dating profiles. The evening stretched on into various games and then we stretched out all over the cabin to go to sleep.
The original plan for Saturday morning was to take a couple of hiking trips, however as we woke we discovered that not only was it cold, it was also very wet. So the morning began with talks by Daniel Heineck and Huy Nguyen about the histories of the Nicene and Apostle’s Creeds. Following their talks the brave ones of us decided to take on the weather and went out hiking, getting quite wet along the way.
The day continued with Andrea Grim speaking on the meaning of the line “we believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church” that is embedded in the Nicene Creed. We took a break for lunch and more socializing. Fr. Joseph Sergott graciously led us in mass later in the afternoon, and Danny Blessing taught us all about the differences between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
Following dinner Fr. Joseph gave us an opportunity to learn about the wording changes that are being made in the Nicene Creed that will begin next Advent. We rounded out the evening’s spiritual activities with taize prayer, and then it was time for more games, including some very heated rounds of mafia, and lots of laughter (my stomach was seriously hurting from laughing too much).
Following dinner Fr. Joseph gave us an opportunity to learn about the wording changes that are being made in the Nicene Creed that will begin next Advent. We rounded out the evening’s spiritual activities with taize prayer, and then it was time for more games, including some very heated rounds of mafia, and lots of laughter (my stomach was seriously hurting from laughing too much).
Sunday morning came with a light snow. We ate breakfast, celebrated mass, said our goodbyes and drove on home. Everyone walked away with great memories of community, new friendships, and a better understanding of our faith and how we profess it.
Many, many, many thanks to Ben Horne, our fearless leader, without whom none of this would have been possible. He’s the YAG equivalent of a rock star!
We’ve already booked the lodge for next fall, so get ready for another amazing retreat, I hope many of you can come!
- Andrea Grim
The rest of the pix are here!
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