SOURCE SUMMIT Retreats Draw More Than 520

The 2018 SOURCE SUMMIT Retreats – one for young people and one for adults – drew more than 520 people to Mater Dei High School and Corpus Christi Parish, both in Evansville, over the weekend of March 16-18. Mater Dei hosted the weekend retreat for youth and young adults (ages 13-24), and Corpus Christi hosted the one-day adult retreat on March 17.

More than 450 young people attended the retreat at Mater Dei, and more than 80 adults attended the retreat at Corpus Christi.

Presenters this year included traveling worship leader and speaker Chris Bray, Franciscan Sister Bernadette of the charismatic community Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, author Nic Davidson and members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Father Terry Messer, who has attended several Source Summit weekends, joined Source Summit Chaplain Father Jerry Pratt to concelebrate the closing Mass on March 18 with Bishop Joseph M. Siegel.

During his homily. Bishop Siegel discussed the Gospel reading for March 18, the fifth Sunday of Lent, which is John 12:20-33. In it, John recounts the Passover visit of some Greeks, who told Philip they “would like to see Jesus.”

Christ uses the moment to speak about the need for us to die to selves in order to bear fruitfully for God – like a grain of what that dies so that it might bear much fruit. He also talked about his pending passion, death and resurrection … “the purpose that I came to this hour.”

“We must be that grain of wheat,” Bishop Siegel said. “When Jesus says ‘die to self,’ we must be will to undergo that true conversion and be open to what God has for us. That is the way to true life and true glory.

“In this reading, we see a very different view of Jesus from that of Palm Sunday,” the bishop said, “and we can relate this to our own lives. There are moments we feel very close to God, as Jesus did in today’s Gospel. There are other times when we feel very alone, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“Whether we feel close to God or feel alone, we must keep ourselves focused on the Lord,” Bishop Siegel added. “The Greeks in today’s Gospel said, ‘We want to see Jesus.’ May that be our prayer every day.”

The Message will publish a feature from columnist Maria Sermersheim, who attended Source Summit, in the March 30 issue.