Quo Vadis Retreat engages 82 young men to reflect on discernment
Samuel Peiffer plays a game of soccer with other young men during Quo Vadis on July 26, 2024 at Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House. More than 80 young men attended the daylong Quo Vadis retreat this year. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
LAKE DALLAS — “If I were to meet an angel and a priest, I would greet the priest first, because the angel is the friend of God and the priest stands in His place,” Father Brett Metzler said to a room full of high school-aged boys.
Standing at the pulpit at the front of a classroom, Fr. Metzler quoted the words of Saint John Vianney at the Quo Vadis young men’s retreat, an annual summertime event held on July 26 at the Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House on the shores of Lake Dallas.
At the daylong camp, attendees took a step back from their normal routines and immersed themselves in the 38-acre Jesuit campus. They learned how to be men of God, how to pray, and, ultimately, how to grow from teens into Catholic adults through a series of discussions and group activities with the support of priests and seminarians.
“Everyone here has the experience of desiring more,” Fr. Metzler said. “There’s been a growing awareness on how to feed that hunger.”
Fr. Metzler reflected on how Quo Vadis has developed over time, with only 13 guys attending the retreat a few years back. Now, 82 attendees, an increase of almost 20 from the year prior, were enjoying the opportunity to learn about their faith and discern their vocation.
“We had a really good turnout,” Josie Geisler, administrative assistant for vocations for the Diocese of Fort Worth said.
Geisler believes that the seminarian talks are key to the appeal.
“They see a lot of young men in the diocese that want to be good Catholic men,” Geisler said. The retreatants feel welcome to participate, she said, because other boys like them are joining in the fellowship.
The power of silence
While discernment is a serious process, Xavier Polisetty and Lane Tschirhart — the two seminarians tapped by Fr. Metzler to run this year’s retreat — believed they could make the activities engaging and impactful.
“We reworked the schedule from 2023 to focus on silence,” Polisetty said. “We really wanted to emphasize what it means to be a man of God and live a virtuous life.”
After each discussion, there was a silent reflection period.
“This is a gathering, but it’s also a retreat,” Polisetty said. “Part of that includes having time to personally reflect, which can only be done through silence.”
Meanwhile, in the afternoon, the young men had their pick of playing board games in the cafeteria or participating in sports like cornhole, soccer, and football.
“We’re here to show that being a Catholic is also fun,” Polisetty said.
A discernment process helpful to all
The importance of discerning into the priesthood was not lost to the attendees of the retreat, but the leaders of Quo Vadis wanted to address all vocations. Marriage and fatherhood, as well as other paths to align with God’s plan, were also addressed.
“The stuff we talked about was universal that applies to all Catholics,” Polisetty said.
Luis Hernandez of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Fort Worth remained uncertain about discerning a call to the priesthood, but the high school senior saw the retreat as the next step in becoming more involved with the youth ministries at his parish.
“I definitely want to help,” Hernandez said. “There’s different ways to grow in faith and as a person.”
Lessons on what it means to be a man were what drew 11th grader Jonathan Guadarrama to the retreat.
“I liked learning humbleness and caring about others who serve the Lord,” Guadarrama said.
Freshman Nathaniel Valie said he came to find his calling because he still needed help making a vocation decision.
“The adoration and confession were really moving,” Valie said.
Ultimately, Geiser said the process of discernment will take time and that this retreat is the first stage in a series of opportunities for Catholic boys in North Texas.
“We just want to get them to start listening and taking the time to pray,” Geiser said.