Luke 18!

Warm Fuzzies

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:36:41 -0500

Before heading to the church to celebrate noon mass, the Lukers gave one another warm fuzzies, along with lots affirming words and loving hugs, to remind themselves that it impossible to ever run out of God’s love.

Talk #9: Our Special Mission

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:36:20 -0500

This morning, the Lukers met in the Parish Hall where they heard the last talk of the retreat, the “Our Special Mission” talk. Billy Bommarito let the Lukers know that the weekend of Luke 18 has only been the beginning of their newfound and overflowing faith and that the real challenges await them in the coming days and weeks as they return to the hardships of daily life. He used his favorite board game, Mouse Trap, as a metaphor to illustrate to the Lukers that life, like games, are much more rewarding when you take the time to learn how to properly play it. Ami Keating talked about how her admirable search for answers allowed her to ultimately see the beauty and joy that not comes not with merely being Catholic but actually living as a Catholic.

Talk #8: God's Love

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:35:46 -0500

To conclude Saturday night, the Young Adult Team Leaders (YATLs), Melissa Stumpf and Joey Vitale, gave a talk to the Lukers about God’s unconditional love in the narthex of the church. Melissa and Joey both talked about their relationship with God during childhood, at Luke 18, and beyond. Melissa Stumpf talked about the many different meanings for the word love and her struggle to feel God’s love. The Lukers shared in her discovery that nothing can separate us from God’s unconditional love as she encouraged the Lukers to “embrace Jesus’s outstretched arms.” Joey talked about the struggles he faced with achieving and maintaining popularity in junior high and his resistance to give God control. He shared how his experiences led him to the realization that “God loves you too much to keep you where you are.”

Talk #7: Hurting and Making Up

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 18:35:00 -0500

After dinner, the Lukers returned to the Parish Hall where they heard the last Disciple talk of the night: “Hurting and Making Up.” Gabe Vitale gave a powerful talk on sibling rivalry and forgiveness, emphasizing the painful effects of deep-rooted jealousy. Emma Laurentius courageously shared a life story that reminded the Lukers never to take their family for granted.

Prodigal Son Skit

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 18:34:33 -0500

Throughout the weekend, the Disciples performed scenes of a skit called “Girl Meets World,” which plays off the biblical story of the prodigal son. The video below shows a scene that the Lukers watched on Saturday night after enjoying a fantastic dinner.

Talk #6: Prayer

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 18:22:38 -0500

The Lukers just heard the “Prayer” talk, given by Disciples Mike Horn and Billy Luhmann. Mike talked about his own journey with prayer and different meaningful ways that he has discovered to pray. Billy talked about the importance of praying to God, even when not in times of need. He also challenged the Lukers to start praying informally to God throughout the weekend and how easy it is to pray in a way that no one will even notice — just have a silent conversation with God in your head.

Talk #5: What it Means to be a Member

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:56:52 -0500

After the dodgeball tournament, the Lukers returned to the Parish Hall to hear the fifth talk of the retreat: the “What it Means to be a Member” talk. Zach Manuel said that "if you feel like you already know God, or even if you are new to it, I encourage you to work to know God more and be a member of a faith family." Elizabeth DiMaggio reminded the Lukers that when it comes to being a member, they only take away what they put in. Tori Montgomery provided a powerful reminder for the Lukers not to take their families for granted, as that is the most important group to which they belong.

Dodgeball

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:56:41 -0500

The team just played a huge dodgeball tournament, and they were teamed up by small groups. Many of the games were really close, but ultimately the Operation small group won the big prize - a giant Statue of Liberty!

Talk #4: My Faith Family

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:56:26 -0500

After listening to the “My Family” talk and discussing the talk in small groups, the Lukers returned to the Parish Hall to hear the “My Faith Family” talk. Bridget Coyne talked about how members of her faith family helped carry her through one of the hardest parts of her life and were "a light and a ladder urging her to start climbing."
James Faust told the Lukers how his faith family helped him learn who he was and how his faith family shaped him into the person he wanted to be. Grace Minton told the Lukers that "if you want to find the Truth of our faith, you have to go to Mass, participate, and find it...not just wait for it to find you."

Talk #3: My Family

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 12:29:14 -0500

We just listened to Rob Golterman, Kristin Stroble, and Tina Furrer give the “My Family” talk. Rob reminded the Lukers to try and be more aware of the love their parents have for them...Kristin challenged each Luker to be the person who binds their family together...Tina shared from her heart the power a sibling has to influence their life and make them want to be better people.

Scavenger Hunt

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 12:23:05 -0500

This year’s scavenger hunt was ... awesome! The Lukers and Disciples played a real-life game of Clue as they hustled around St. Catherines, trying to solve the mystery of whodunnit. The murderer, it turns out, was Katie Lucchesi in the Parish Hall with an explosive fart. Ew!

Talk #2: Who Am I? - Gifts and Talents

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 12:22:10 -0500

To start the morning off, Disciples gave their second talk of the retreat, the Who Am ?/Gifts and Talents talk. Disciples Scott Trafton and Brian Bach talked to the guys about their personal journeys in striving to figure out their own identities and gifts. Disciples Julia Merlo, Lexi Warner, and Molly Baumgartner talked with the girls about finding their identity, being true to themselves, and finding a good role model. After their talks, the whole group came together again, and the Lukers prayed for Christ to be the center of their lives.

Talk #1: Our Father’s Invitation

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 22:10:36 -0500

The first talk of the retreat was given by Marisa Tangaro, Brittany Pallme, and Nick Schmidt about Our Father’s Invitation to the Lukers. They talked about how they felt God’s invitation when they were first Lukers and the different ways that God has nudged them to open up, let go, and let God. After their talks, they showed a video to help let the Lukers feel like it’s alright to join in the dancing and that taking that risk of joining in the foolishness is that first step towards accepting God’s invitation. You can watch their video below.

Hoedown Throwdown

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 21:20:53 -0500

The Disciples have truly put so much effort into this weekend and have been waiting anxiously for the arrivals of the Lukers. One of the many things that the Disciples have worked on was a line dance that they performed for the Lukers, Miley Cyrus’s “Hoedown Throwdown.” Check this page later for a video of the dance.

Parent Prayer Service

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 21:00:08 -0500

Parents gathered tonight for their own time to pray. Katie Luchessi welcomed everyone and invited them to enter in to the experience. Nancy O’Keefe gave a talk about the challenges of parenthood and God’s faithfulness through it all. The Cori Team (the secret behind-the-scenes crew) gave their skit about the challenges of teen life that they will perform for the Lukers on Saturday Night. Deacon Chuck led us all in adoration and Karl Zimmerman led in music. It could have been the beginning of a faith family for the adults. Great night.

Go! Collect $200

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 20:00:00 -0500

Luke 18 has officially started! After getting dropped off in the Parish Hall, the Lukers joined (and at times were forced) into doing various ice breakers led by our Disciple team — the high school and college students that are leading the retreat. One group of them had to cover their teeth and try to yell “Pterodactyl” without laughing and showing teeth. Another group played “YAH!” Finally, they all played a big game of “Bear, Hunter, Karate Man” (Our version of rock, paper, scissors). By the end of the game, all of the Lukers seemed pumped for the rest of the weekend.