CTK PPC Sponsors Four Young Parishioners to Life Directions Workshop
A total of 22 participants, four of whom were sponsored by Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows’ Vocation Ministry, headed by Louie Laudico and Anna Lagman, graduated last September 30 from the Life Directions Retreat Weekend of Fr. Ted Gonzales.
The Life’s Directions Retreat, a three-day semi-silent retreat held in Karis, Tagaytay, gathers single young professionals and assists them to reconnect with God, the idea being that amidst the hustle and bustle of life, it is always helpful to occasionally stop and reflect on the journey of life, the relationships formed, the crossroads encountered, and how to better cultivate a deeper relationship with God who created us. Participants are helped by the service team and the organizing committee to understand their strengths, weaknesses, values and world views. These facilitators have gone through the program themselves and come back to help out every weekend with the participants’ life journeys.
By way of opening the retreat, Fr. Ted, who had already spoken several times at CTK’s past formation talks, addressed the participants, ‘Think of Life’s Directions not as a weekend retreat but as a support organization, a mentoring program, and a free counseling service all rolled into one’.
Batch 108 that joined the Life Directions Weekend last September 28-30 at the Karis Retreat House in Tagaytay included Althea Geronilla, CTK’s Youth Ministry Coordinator; John Juat, CTK’s Altar Servers’ coordinator; Lupo Basilio of PREX Youth and newly-commissioned lector-commentator; and Francis Vidanes, also form PREX Youth.
Althea recounted that they had to turn in their phones on Saturday morning and got them back only on Saturday late afternoon before the final mass. ‘So that we can really take in everything, we had to disconnect to connect,’ explained Althea.
Lupo Basilio recounted his own reflection. ‘Before the weekend, I felt truly lost and unsettled about many things. I was worried whether I would find a stable job that I actually enjoy, what the future holds for me, and so many other external factors that I have no control over. The retreat was a good balance between silent time and group sharing, which I found very helpful. The ambience of the retreat house was very welcoming and relaxing, the entire compound had a very uplifting atmosphere.’ Lupo added, ‘I really enjoyed interacting with other people and listening to their stories. I realized a lot of things about life and about being a human being.’ When asked if he would recommend the retreat, he said, ‘I recommend this Karis Retreat weekend especially for college students, college graduates, and young professionals.’
The Retreat has been going on for more than 20 years. Fr. Ted explained, ‘It’s a weekend filled with self-discovery, where the participants can locate themselves in the ‘map of life’, identify where the crossroads are, and most importantly, find ways to enrich their relationship with God amid the daily struggles.’ He added, ‘Going away for the weekend and away from daily routine forces our participants to just be there in the moment and be there with God.’
