October 22, 2024

Teens grow in faith at annual confirmation retreat in the Berkshires

REGIONAL
By David Martin

(IObserve photo/Courtesy of Joe Austin)

PITTSFIELD- Bishop William D. Byrne celebrated a special 2 p.m. Mass Sunday, Oct. 20, at St. Joseph Parish in Pittsfield. The Mass was followed by an annual confirmation retreat for Berkshire County parishes. In his homily, Bishop Byrne told the young people attending the question to ask today is “what does God think is cool.”

“You are going to get the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit can change your perception of what is truly, truly important in the world. This is the thing that you need to start praying for. Let the wisdom of the Holy Spirit come alive in your heart so that you can figure out what really matters and what really does not. What God thinks is cool is to serve, not be served. I just gave you the secret to happiness, right here,” said Bishop Byrne.

There were representatives from all of the parishes in the Berkshires. Some of the teenagers participated in the Mass as lectors and giving witness talks during the retreat.

 “Retreats are kind of rare, so it is really beautiful to see all these people coming here and participating in their faith,” said Cruz Swinson, a member of St. Ann Parish in Lenox. Swinson gave a witness talk during the retreat,

 “It is scary of course. I have to talk in front of all of them. There is some solace that I am actually trying to help. At least that is what I want to do. Like the bishop said, the cool thing is to serve. So that is something I feel happy about even if I am a bit nervous about it,” said Swinson.

Those participating in the retreat had a chance to eat hotdogs, snacks and cake while socializing. They had the opportunity to speak with and take photos with Bishop Byrne. After Swinson’s witness talk, participants broke up into small groups outside to reflect on what they had heard.

(IObserve photo/Courtesy of Joe Austin)

Ann Fiegel, a member of St. Charles Parish in Pittsfield wanted to attend the retreat as she was homeschooled for a longtime in a strong Christian community. When her family moved, Fiegel attended public school where it was difficult, she said, to determine who the other Christians were.

“For me it is really about reaching as many people as I can. I just love sharing my faith, sharing the joy I have of it in an environment where they are not afraid to talk about it. I found in public school, if you talk about faith, they look at it like it is a forbidden subject. So it is nice to be able to share it without having that barrier,” said Fiegel.

There was plenty of fun mixed in with faith at the retreat, with many icebreaker games.  In one game, Bishop Byrne donned a basketball hat while participants would throw as many ping pong balls as possible through the net. They were also challenged to balance uncooked spaghetti noodles in an arrangement with marshmallows placed on top. Finally, one in a group was blindfolded and decorated a pumpkin, while the others acted as guides.

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which temporarily airs Sunday mornings at 6:30 a.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS.