Cabin fever?
Not for this group of youth.
Over the course of a week over 90 youth from 6 different Oblate parishes came together for a Survival Retreat. The high school youth spent their entire March Break together and the young adults had a shorter but impactful weekend retreat.
This week spent in the woods was anything but boring!
Everyday brought a new skill they had to acquire.
Finding water, starting a fire and building a shelter!
Three essential skills that one needs when in the woods.
The survival themes were presented daily by different Oblates; Fr. Daniel Janulewicz OMI, Fr. Paweł Pilarczyk OMI, Fr. Tomasz Jarosz OMI, and Fr. Marcin Serwin OMI. With special guests including Scout Masters, as well as parishioners that came with expert technical survival experience for shelter building and fire starting.
The external physical challenges of survival taught us the essentials that God provides us with, fire shelter and water, which allowed the youth to realize that God is also the source of essentials needed for spiritual and internal survival.
He provides sustenance,  cleansing and a place to protect your spirit from the perils of the devil.
This group of teenagers quickly released that not only is it essential to understand physical survival skills but the survival skills of the soul.
Daily mass, adoration and Bible verses related to the skill of the day helped solidify how much of our spiritual life is predicated upon our survival skills to keep us in the state of grace.
Everyday we encounter new situations that require us to use these skills to navigate a world hostile to Jesus and his message.
It is through perseverance and surrendering to God that we truly become strong enough  to combat these challenges.
I think we will see this group of kids next year for another edition of the March Break Survival Retreat!

(Monika Frejlich/DJ/photos OYC)