SEARCH FOR CHRISTIAN MATURITY

Philosophy and Purpose

SEARCH is facilitated by teens for teens, with the guidance of adult SEARCH Coordinators.  The focus of the retreat is three-fold:

• Fostering participant's personal relationship with Christ
• Encouraging participant's involvement in ministry within their respective parishes
• Promoting discipleship

SEARCH is a retreat weekend that tries to help high school juniors and seniors see how they can be faith leaders in the school and parishes. This is done by having the participant's come to know God, themselves and others in a more loving, personal way.

SEARCH is not a means purposely set up to correct one's character, morals, emotions or troubled school or family life.  It is a method of providing people with a way of encountering themselves, others and God in a way which is unique and powerful.  SEARCH helps people to see the need to bring their spiritual live into more conscious contact with their everyday living.

The essential component of SEARCH is its youth-to-youth approach, referred to as peer ministry.  This component cannot be stressed enough; other programs can be valuable, but no one can talk with or relate to another better than a peer.

So, SEARCH is basically a weekend experience in Christian living.  It is designed to help people see their value as human beings and members of a loving community.  This happens as the team and SEARCHERS share their thoughts, feelings and ideas.  Participants are then challenged to take their growth and ideas back to their families, schools and parish communities.

Central Elements

There are six elements that we hope SEARCH weekend will highlight and that each participant will take away from the retreat.  They are:

• Trust
• Sharing
• Community
• Prayer
• Growth
• Fun

Time Frame for the Weekend

SEARCH is a full, time-consuming weekend that begins immediately after school on Friday for the team members (7:00 - 7:30 PM for the participants) and ends on Sunday after the closing Mass around 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

What Will Happen

You will participate in large and small group discussions, team building activities, learning to trust , Mass, reconciliation, prayer services and of course fun.... meeting youth from all over the Deanery and some of them will become close friends.  You will bond with your SEARCH community, but will be challenged to go back into your family, church nd school communities to share what you have learned.

SEARCH

Trust the process. Keep the faith. The best is yet to come.

To print a SEARCH application click here on this link
https://dioknox.org/events/search-163