MERRILLVILLE – Catholic faithful took a journey of faith with St. Peter despite barely leaving home on Feb. 4 as Holy Martyrs and Our Lady of Consolation churches hosted a one-day winter retreat at Andrean High School.
“St. Peter gives me hope, because he was all over the place with his faith (during his life), and in scripture we see his faults and the times when he was faithful, yet Jesus gave him the gifts to become the leader of the Catholic Church,” explained Melissa Novak, director of discipleship and evangelization at the two parishes.
“This will serve as a retreat experience for our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) group, but all participants will hopefully discover something new and have an opportunity to reflect God’s love and presence in their lives,” added Novak. “I am new to Holy Martyrs and Our Lady of Consolation, but when I’ve hosted this retreat in the past for RCIA candidates and catechumen, I normally limit it to the RCIA group, their sponsors and RCIA team.
“This year we have one catechumen and two candidates, so after much discernment, I decided to open it up to the parish, but limit participants to 20,” she said. “I think this will be a great opportunity for the candidates and catechumen to get to know a small group of parishioners on an intimate level. It’s so important that throughout the RCIA process the parish community is involved, and we help candidates/catechumen build relationships with other parishioners so that once they are fully initiated, they already know other people in the parish and really feel that sense of family, community and belonging.”
A light breakfast and icebreaker exercises meant to put the group at ease were followed by an opening presentation by Deacon Tom Gryzbek, who used music and videos to talk about “The Depth of God’s Love.”
“We love God, but he loved us first,” said Deacon Gryzbek. “We can’t accurately describe God’s love – it’s like a mosaic or a prism that catches all the colors as you turn it. As we get closer to God, his tenderness becomes more real to us.
“We think God can’t love us when we make mistakes,” the deacon added, “but we are forgetting that God loves us just the way we are. He would die on the cross for any one of us.”
In a discussion group, participants were asked how they would describe God’s love and what examples they find in nature, movies, books or songs.
Novak offered the second presentation, focusing on scripture passages about the life of St. Peter. “He questions, doubts, trusts and is confident in God at different times,” she noted. “He says he will die for Jesus, but then he denies him three times. Jesus continues to call him, and (makes him) the Rock on which Christ will build his Church.”
Comparing St. Peter to today’s Catholics, Novak pointed out that “No matter what setbacks we experience (in our faith), God can still use us, transform us and give us the grace we need to follow him. Are you able to accept the graces of God, and to follow him?”
Discussion questions focused on what part of St. Peter’s life participants most relate to, and how they got to the point they have in their faith journey. To reflect on their life, participants drew a “life map” that linked who has influenced their faith, how God has been present in their life, and items that have led them to where they are in their faith journey.
After sharing prayers and Eucharistic Adoration in the school chapel, led by Deacon Rob Litavecz, the attendees took a lunch break before hearing about the faith journey of Jason Novak, Melissa’s husband and a theology teacher and baseball coach at Andrean.
He spoke about not being raised in a Catholic family, although he was baptized, and having his first real experience with God in college, when he blamed God for his mother’s sudden death from a stroke.
“I’m saying, ‘Why is this happening to my Mom?’ and I’m fighting with God about it,” he said.
Upon returning to classes at St. Francis University the following week, a classmate asked, “How was your weekend?” and that began his friendship, and later romance, with Melissa.
“I didn’t want to talk (at first), but she was calming and asked all the right questions … two weeks later I found myself going to Mass with her,” he recalled.
While his faith journey has had ups and downs – including Melissa’s battle with cancer shortly after their 2011 wedding – Jason Novak has come to believe that with faith, “We can get through anything.
“It’s not easy to pick up your cross and follow Jesus, but I have my faith,” he added. “I get to teach 14- and 15-year-olds about God, and when they ‘get’ it, it’s awesome.”
In discussion, participants were asked what strong influences they have had on their faith journey and how they live their life differently because of God’s love.
The day’s final speaker was Marisa Valdez, a longtime cantor who spoke on “Committing to Christ. Using the lyrics from the hymn “You Are Mine,” she asked her audience to take a number of steps to move closer to God’s plan for them.
“Listen with an open heart, listen carefully to what is being asked of you, know you are worthy of Christ’s love and mercy, trust in the plan God has for you, and act as a disciple of Christ,” she encouraged the retreat attendees.
The day closed with the opportunity to pray over each other as each resumed their journey of faith.