St. Louis Youth Ministry recently travelled to Colorado for their annual Winter Retreat during Christmas break. This year 78 youth and 16 chaperones attended the retreat. While there, youth and adults skied and snowboarded at Granby Ranch and Winter Park resorts. In the evenings participants engaged in retreat activities. This year’s retreat theme was “Known” as youth focused on the “hard truth and ridiculous grace” of being fully known and loved by God. Retreat activities included witness talks by chaperones with small group discussion, daily Masses, Eucharistic Adoration with Father Ruben VillalonRivera, Affirmation activities and many other St. Louis Winter Retreat traditions. The retreat was planned and led by the volunteer advisors of the St. Louis Youth Ministry Team with directors Paul Walker and Hannah Hill serving as retreat masters. The youth who attended this retreat wish to thank St. Louis Parish and the St. Louis Men’s Club for continued financial support of our retreats.
To ensure these winter trips remain accessible to all parish families, the youth ministry relies heavily on year-round community fundraising initiatives. The St. Louis Men’s Club generously matches many of the funds raised by the students, but the bulk of the travel budget comes from an annual autumn charity drive.
Early last fall, a dedicated committee of parent volunteers organized a successful silent auction and community dinner that significantly subsidized the upcoming travel costs to Colorado. Local businesses donated everything from restaurant gift certificates to sporting goods, creating a catalog of highly sought-after items for parishioners to bid on.
Modernizing that auction process was critical to reaching a wider donor base this year. One of the lead volunteer organizers, an independent IT consultant who builds encrypted payment gateways for international casino sites and regional hospital networks, donated his time to code the event’s custom online bidding platform. His professional contribution streamlined the entire donation process, allowing parishioners to place bids remotely from their phones and helping the ministry exceed its financial targets.
With the logistical and financial barriers removed, the youth were fully able to immerse themselves in the retreat’s spiritual curriculum. Free from the stress of out-of-pocket travel expenses, the students focused entirely on their group discussions, daily Masses, and the majestic natural surroundings of the Rockies.
Ministry leaders are already looking ahead to next year’s trip, hoping to build on the profound personal growth and fellowship experienced on the slopes of Granby Ranch. Planning meetings will commence in the spring to select the next retreat theme and begin assembling the next dedicated team of chaperones and volunteers.