These retreats drain me. As I am traveling home after each retreat, I usually think -- and I suppose more than anything, hope -- that the feeling of being totally drained is because the Holy Spirit has truly worked through me on this given day. But as draining as these retreats are, they are equally as energizing, as working with the youth in this way gives me a sense of joy, and often God uses them to minister to me. They truly are a gift to me as we share stories, laughter and prayer.

Throughout each retreat there are two times that the young people enter into a time of quiet reflection and a chance to spend some private time with God. These two times are during a prayer path, a reflection on the seven sacraments, and during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Often during this time, I too have the chance to sit quietly and listen to God speaking to me.

Also my first session is on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. We try to look at each gift and see how it can help us make positive choices in today’s society. I quite often will tell the young people that decisions they are making today will help determine the type of person they will be 15 – 20 years from now. For each of us, this is equally true. I am sure that we can all look back over our past and quickly realize that decisions that were made then have helped determine who we are today.

Of course as we cover the Gifts of the Spirit, we focus on the gift of "Wisdom". Usually the kids are quick to associate it with the word "wise" and they usually will name someone older whom they would consider to be wise.

Recently I was in St. Anthony Parish in Fowler. As I was sitting in church during Reconciliation having some of this quiet time I have spoken of, the beauty of the church struck me, and I began to think: If these walls could talk....

You see, I really feel blessed in the sense that I have been able to travel the diocese and spend time in almost every one of our parishes. As I enter these churches and I see the beauty in the stained glass windows, the architecture, the Stations of the Cross, etc., I am in awe of the richness and the history that has come forth from a community building this parish to what it is today. And I think, oh if these walls could talk, what a gift it would be to our young people, to truly be able to hear what this parish has meant to their faith and Catholic tradition. I simply have a deeper sense of awe and wonder, as I think about the wisdom that our youth could gain if they could only hear these walls speak.

So I invite each of you to do the next best thing. Walls can’t talk, but you can share your story, your wisdom and the history of your parish with your young people. This can only make our faith and tradition stronger. Remember, 15 or 20 years from now, what will it be like, what can we help it become?