More than 60 young adults representing 23 parishes across the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend gathered for a weekend retreat organized by Ablaze Mission, a young adult apostolate based in South Bend. The retreat offered a time of respite and an opportunity to find peace in Christ amid life’s stor ms. This year’s theme, “Be Still: Jesus Calms the Storm,” resonated with many young adults eager to disconnect from the fast-paced world and spend time with peers navigating similar life stages while striving to grow closer to God. Young adult life is often transient, marked by milestones such as graduations, new jobs, relationships, marriage, and everything in between. The retreat provided a space for attendees to step away from the busyness of daily life and rest in the Lord. Father Brian Isenbarger, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Garrett, speaks to attendees on the topic, “Living in the Present Moment.” Held at the Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center in Plymouth from Friday evening, January 30, through Sunday afternoon, February 1, Ablaze Mission’s second annual Young Adult Retreat encouraged a weekend of quiet reflection, surrendering control, and recognizing God’s power to act amid the storm. “Retreats are critical for everyone because they provide time to step away from daily life, make honest assessments of our relationship with God, discern adjustments, and reenter life walking more closely with Him,” Sean Allen, founder and president of Ablaze Mission, told Today’s Catholic. “It is important to have retreats specifically designed for young adults because they are in a unique stage of life that differs from both youth and older adults.” Allen, Jesse Iamarino, the assistant mission director of Ablaze Mission, and several other young adults formed the retreat planning team. Praise and worship throughout the weekend was led by a team under the direction of Christian Quilon, an admissions counselor at the University of Notre Dame. The Saint Hildegard Project also provided music for Sunday Mass. By and large, the retreat felt timely for attendees. “One of the most important parts of the retreat planning process is selecting the theme,” Iamarino told Today’s Catholic. “The team spent time in prayer, along with talking to their peers, asking for the Holy Spirit to guide us to a theme that would speak to the young adults where they are and in the trials they are facing.” The retreat schedule included personal prayer, talks, small-group discussions, testimonies, Mass, Eucharistic adoration, confession, and opportunities to connect with peers from across the diocese. Speakers included Father Brian Isenbarger, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Garrett; Father Mark Gurtner, vicar general of the diocese; and Michael Nolan, founder of Shadow on the Water, a full-time missionary, husband, and father. Local speakers Katie Klee and Tommy Kostielney also led separate men’s and women’s sessions addressing life transitions and experiences unique to each group. In addition to the principal talks, retreatants had opportunities for prayer ministry and silent reflection. Other activities included a trivia night, evening socials, and morning and night prayer. Father Gurtner opened the retreat on Friday evening with a talk titled “Calm in the Chaos.” He encouraged retreatants to nourish their faith through prayer, emphasizing that faith is both a gift from God and a choice that must be continually nurtured. His talk led directly into adoration, giving retreatants the opportunity to reflect on their personal prayer journeys and consider ways to deepen their relationship with God. In his Saturday morning talk, “Living in the Present Moment,” Father Isenbarger invited retreatants to reconsider what it truly means to live in the “now.” He explained that viewing life as a series of disconnected moments can be exhausting. “If we frame our lives in terms of moments,” he said, “what we inevitably do is move from one moment to the next, and that’s how we find ourselves worn down.” Attendees of the Ablaze Mission Young Adult Retreat socialize throughout the weekend retreat at Lindenwood Retreat and Conference Center in Plymouth. Drawing from Scripture, Father Isenbarger emphasized that Christians are called to live in the tension of the present, where God is already present but not yet fully revealed. “To live in the present moment is to live in relationship,” he said, encouraging retreatants to place their anxieties in God’s care and trust Him even in life’s storms. On Saturday evening, retreatants gathered in the Ancilla Domini Chapel at Lindenwood for adoration, praise and worship, and prayer teams who prayed for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon each retreatant. For many, this was a powerful experience. Emily Horn, a recent convert to Catholicism who was encouraged to attend the retreat by a member of the planning team, reflected, “I think it was the closest I’ve ever felt to the Holy Spirit.” Attendee Elijah Coburn-McDonald described the retreat as a grounding experience. “I haven’t had time to spend a whole weekend in prayer and spiritual community in quite a long time,” Coburn-McDonald told Today’s Catholic. “Being on the retreat really grounded me and my ability to hear God. Life is crazy, and if we don’t make time for dedicated silence, God can easily be drowned out by the noise of the world.” On Sunday morning, Nolan delivered the final talk, “Returning to the Storm.” He challenged participants to let go of self-reliance, describing himself as “the wrong guy for the job,” a reminder that discipleship does not depend on personal strength or qualifications. Nolan emphasized that Christians are called to spiritual poverty and obedience rather than control. “You actually have everything you need,” Nolan said, explaining that God works most powerfully when people surrender their weakness to Him. Nolan encouraged retreatants to trust that God is at work even when they feel unprepared and reminded them that true peace comes not from escaping the storm but from remaining reliant on God within it. Michael Nolan, founder of Shadow on the Water, speaks to attendees on the topic, “Returning to the Storm.” Coburn-McDonald said Nolan’s talk particularly resonated with him. “Mike Nolan’s talk was without a doubt my favorite,” he told Today’s Catholic. “Hearing him speak about ‘not being the right person for the job’ directly addressed certain hitches I’d been experiencing in prayer and helped me realize things I’ll be taking to prayer moving forward.” Reflecting on the weekend, Coburn-McDonald added, “I went into the retreat with some big questions that I wanted answered. I learned that while the questions weren’t bad, they weren’t the right ones right now. My focus needed to be on God and my pursuit of Him above any of these external worries I had been carrying.” Iamarino left the retreat inspired by its fruits, saying, “It is always such a privileged place to be walking with young adults, to see their faith in the Lord, and to see their trust in what He can do.” For many attendees, the retreat offered clarity and reassurance, leaving them with a renewed sense of God’s presence in their lives. As Horn reflected, “I feel recommitted to growing in my faith. It was a good reminder that we are never alone in doing so.” The post Ablaze Retreat Invites Young Adults to ‘Be Still’ appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less