Young adults take time for growth during Lenten retreat
Deacon Jose Mateo, from St. Francis in Grapevine, speaks during the Young Adult Retreat on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Flower Mound. (NTC/Kevin Bartram)
FLOWER MOUND — In a world that seldom settles down, young Catholic adults retreated to St. Philip the Apostle Church in Flower Mound, abandoning their cell phones and schedules for a day of reflection, repentance, and renewal.
Nearly 70 participants attended this year’s Lenten retreat on Feb. 28, according to Victoria Ramon, Director of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry for the Diocese of Fort Worth. The young Catholics spent the day hearing from guest speakers, enjoying fellowship, and attending Mass, Adoration, and confession.
“I sensed the Lord wanted our young adults to encounter Him in His Word. This led to the overall theme of Encountering Jesus in the Gospel,” she said. “Within this theme, we focused on the three pillars of Lent. Through the practice of increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, young adults receive the grace to return to our Lord and conform their lives even more closely to His.”
Ramon hoped the retreat would be a reminder of the Church’s intention behind the liturgical season. “Oftentimes, many of us think of Lent as a 40-day period for self-improvement,” she said. “But Lent is a time to draw near to the Lord and be more firmly rooted, by His grace, in the mystery of His love and mercy. For single or married young adults, Lent provides a time to reorient ourselves to God.”
Lauren Sajewich, a theology teacher and assistant coach for women’s soccer at Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth, gave the first reflection about prayer: Jesus Calls Us: An Invitation to Friendship. Her remarks centered on a quote from Saint Therese of Lisieux: “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart: it is a simple look toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
Sajewich described “surge of the heart” as “a strong sense of closeness to, and presence with, God” that starts with honesty, something that has had a profound impact on her prayer life. “Sincere gratitude or sorrow, anger or desperation will inspire a surge of the heart,” she said. “It’s not about coming up with a solution; it’s coming for an encounter.”
Initially, Sajewich was reluctant to set aside her “prayer checklist” and focus on being completely honest with God. Consistency and surrender helped her prayer life grow deeper. “We want to fix [our problems], but the Lord is looking for a relationship,” she reminded retreatants. “The best ones are deep and happen over time.”
Sajewich encouraged attendees to think about prayer as having “small moments … to look and catch the gaze of Jesus. It doesn’t take a long, drawn-out conversation to know that He loves you,” she said. “It is not about the quantity of time, but the quality, [and] truly being present. It is a moment of rest for our soul.”
The second talk, Jesus Meets us in Our Brokenness: Fasting of the Heart, was given by Deacon José Mateo from St. Francis of Assisi Church in Grapevine. He read the Gospel story of the woman at the well from John 4:4-26 and guided retreatants through a time of self-reflection.
“Fasting strips away what distracts us from our thirst of God. Where is your well? Where do you find yourself coming with your needs, questions, and brokenness. Is it movies, your phone, social media, or gossip?” he asked. “Imagine Jesus meeting you there with understanding and compassion. What is He telling you?”
Dcn. Mateo challenged attendees to consider areas of their life in which they need to seek forgiveness. “Fasting is an external expression of interior repentance,” he explained. “Where do you sense a need for conversion in your life? Are there any relationships that need healing or habits that need to be changed?”
The third reflection, Jesus Sends Us: Almsgiving and Mission, was given by Deacon Mike Waldon, Director of Faith Formation at St. Teresa of Calcutta Church in Roanoke. “We’ve been given many gifts, both materially and spiritually, and ultimately almsgiving is a giving of ourselves, just as Christ freely gave Himself fully for us,” he said. “Our mission is to be a gift of self to the world in whatever situations we find ourselves in.”
During his talk, Dcn. Waldon allowed the retreatants time to seek God’s direction in their lives. “It was an opportunity [for them] to ask the Lord, ‘How are you asking me to give?’” he recalled. “I think it’s always great to ask the Lord and discern those questions, instead of just assuming.”
“If [we] have time to focus on learning what it means to be a gift to the Church and others, it’ll always help us to understand the meaning of being a gift in responding to our vocation of service to the Lord and to the Church — marriage or holy orders,” Dcn. Waldon said.
To learn about upcoming diocesan events, young adults may sign up for email updates at https://fwdioc.org/young-adult-ministry.