By Rose O’Connor and Armando Machado
Correspondents

“Why Catholic?”
That was the question that hundreds of students across the Diocese of Trenton pondered during recent day-long retreats lead by National Evangelization Teams, or NET, Ministries.
Each August, 150 young Catholics aged 18-28 leave behind their jobs, school, family, and friends to devote nine months to serve with NET, and in February, they held 18 retreats in parishes and schools across the Diocese to help students uncover and enrich their appreciation of what the Catholic faith has to offer.
Evangelists from the Minnesota-based non-profit organization visited St. Catharine School, Spring Lake, Feb. 21 to lead a retreat for the 150 Confirmation candidates from both the elementary school and the parish religious education program. This is the third year that NET ministries visited the parish community.
Emma Spang, who attends Spring Lake Heights Elementary School, enjoyed the interaction in the small groups and will take away from the day the need to “always open your heart to God and always pray.”
During the retreat, the team used a variety of platforms for sharing faith, including games, small groups, skits and songs. Twelve young men and women lead a day of prayer, reflection and faith development for
the students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in April.
The team members shared personal testimonials of how they turned their lives over to God.
Maddy LaFond, 19, who hails from Minnesota, shared a moving story of how she came to now God’s love during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
After struggling with the unrealistic idea of achieving perfection, LaFond “realized he loves me because of who I was, not because of what I do.”
Madalyn Sharp, a 19-year-old from Minnesota, challenged the teens to give their lives to God. “Jesus’ actions speak louder than his words,” she said in reference to the crucifix. “How can I say no to him?” she asked.
“I was living a life of pride, of entitlement,” fellow Team member Joe Terbrack, also 19, admitted. “I had to open up to God, I needed to trust in him to find the happiness I was looking for,” the Michigan native acknowledged.
According to their website, the NET volunteers are divided into 14 teams, travelling across the U.S. for nine months “to share the Gospel with young people and their families. Since 1981, NET teams have led over 29,000 retreats and ministered to more than 1.7 million young Catholics.”
A few days earlier in Eatontown, the NET team led a spiritual retreat in for religious education eighth-graders in St. Dorothea Parish as part of their preparation for Confirmation April 8.
Danielle Gaetano, 13, said that the retreat “opened our eyes more so that we can understand our faith and our religion more. We learned how we can be better Catholics and how we can connect to God.”
The young teens were asked to take some time to reflect on these reasons to be Catholic. And they were each given a “My dear child” letter from Jesus, based on the Lord’s words of comfort and assurance.
That message of hope and faith is one the team seeks to bring to communities across the country.
“Our mission is to challenge young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church,” said Tim Stammeyer, 20, the group’s male team leader, who is from Iowa.
Stammeyer, who is discerning a vocation to the priesthood, said there are 115 missionaries who travel the country helping enkindle faith. “We go all over the United States.”
Deacon John Notaro, who is director of religious education in St. Dorothea, served as retreat facilitator. He
noted, “Teenagers go through all sorts of feelings and emotions...The message is: let faith guide your decisions. My hope is that they will come away seeing the importance of faith and the important role it could have in their lives – and also what role being Catholic could have in their lives."
In sharing that message, Notaro said, the NET leaders “do a great job; the kids really enjoy it. The parents give me such positive feedback.”
Tammy Sablom, director of religious education in St. Catharine Parish, agreed with the sentiment.
“They are great, the kids open up to them and communicate well with them,” she said. “The team leaders are
relatable to the youth, they are comfortable and fun.”
R.J Schroeder, a 14-year-old in St. Dorothea, said the “fun” element was one he appreciated. It wasn’t just lectures or classwork – “We had games that introduced the lectures – like freeze tag, and they tied it in with the lessons.”
“I like the real-life scenarios,” Liam Sullivan, an eighth grade student in Wall Intermediate stated at the end of the St. Catharine retreat. “It made you think and ask yourself what would you do?”
Sharon Marks, who attends St. Catharine School, appreciated the atmosphere created by the NET Team leaders.
“They allowed us to speak our minds, to communicate, help you through problems and pray,” she said.
NET Ministries held 18 retreats during the course of their time in the Diocese of Trenton, helping build the faith lives of over 1,330 young people at parishes including Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepard, Trenton; Visitation, Brick; St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton Square; St. Ann, Keansburg; St. Mary of the Lake, Lakewood; St. Benedict, Holmdel; St. John the Baptist, Allentown; Sacred Heart, Riverton; St.
Denis, Manasquan; St. Anthony of Padua, Hightstown; Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, Hamilton; St. Rose, Belmar; St. Joseph, Millstone Township; and Holy Eucharist, Tabernacle.
At the conclusion of the retreat in St. Catharine, Ukrainian native Vlod Collins gave the students advice on how
to further deepen their faith after the retreat day ends. He encouraged the students to pray by listening to God and praying with Scripture. He urged the reception of the Sacraments of Eucharist at Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Collins spoke to the need of having “good Christian friends to hold each other accountable and to support each other.” He also asked the students to “live what we believe” by serving those in need both at home and in the community.