Youth Retreat in Torit

The "tent village" on our back porch.

To conclude and sum up the intensive work the visiting lay missionaries did with the St. Daniel Comboni Missionary Youth, we decided to have a retreat for the group the last weekend that Carol, Joe and Roger would be in Torit. We selected the Advent theme, "The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwells Among Us," and each of us (friars and lay missionaries) gave reflections over the course of the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. This was the first retreat experience for the newer members of the group.

Saturday Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Concluding Holy Hour with personal intentions and testimonies.

Because of difficulties in arranging transportation for a large group to a remote location we decided to have the retreat at the House of Mercy. That required a little creativity. The young men slept in tents on our veranda, and the young women in the ladies guest quarters. Carol headed up the cooking crew with the help of some large pots from our friends the Bylers at the African Inland Mission. We hung some special rope lighting in the chapel that Fr. Sylvester brought with him from Ireland. At the conclusion of the retreat the youth placed special intentions in a bowl at the foot of the Blessed Sacrament and offered personal prayers and testimonies.

A final group photo with the lay missionaries.

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