By Matthew Lau
Sacramentum Young Adults’ Retreat 2019 provided the ideal setting for its participants to further delve into their understanding of Catholicism.
Bedford parishioner Maria Pham was one of 60 young adults who attended the retreat at Point Walter Recreation & Conference Centre from 12 to 14 April.
Her journey to Sacramentum began fortuitously when, one day, she yearned for a nostalgic visit to the Highgate chapel where her parents were married.
Upon arrival, however, she found the Chapel was closed. That was when she met some staff of Catholic Youth Ministry, who invited her to join the retreat for young adults.
The 23-year-old is studying a Certificate IV in Catholic Ministry at Acts 2 College of Mission and Evangelisation, and is in her final year of studying Accounting and Finance at the University of Western Australia.
“I wished I had done something like Bible College and Sacramentum before starting my degree as it would have helped me navigate through a lot of tricky conversations and questions,” Maria expressed.
In the aftermath of the three-day retreat, Maria said she appreciated the trajectory that a simple reflective walk would take her, as well as the opportunity to connect with like-minded people.
“I could see myself relate to the people I would retreat with, including those who feel they just recently came to know God.
“The highlight was definitely the talks – hearing and participating in the discussion on a range of Catholic beliefs with the speakers and lecturers did wonders for my knowledge and confidence to support my own faith journey.”
Maria said she would definitely recommend this retreat to anyone who has questions about their faith.
“It’s not to enforce our beliefs, to ask people for favours or to win arguments, nor is it a way to shut people out. This was a place where you can learn and collaborate with others, and find answers to questions you might have and I guess know why we believe and do what we do.
“I think everyone involved was able to go home with at least that. As one of the girls from the retreat mentioned: ‘There’s no such things as a silly question, all questions are permissible, although not every response is’,” Maria concluded.
Sacramentum attendee David Kirk, 25, was baptised on Easter Saturday at Sts John & Paul Church in Willetton, the parish where he tied the knot with wife Jina last December.
David, who works in disability as a support coordinator, used the young adults’ retreat as further preparation for him to enter the Catholic faith.
“I was a little scared before going as I was yet to experience that sort of thing,” he said.
“Sacramentum gave me the opportunity to expand on my knowledge of the faith, being new to it.”
Enlightened by the experience, David believes he gained a greater understanding of what it means to be Catholic.
“People were friendly and welcoming. The highlights of the retreat for me were the talks, especially ‘Scriptures’ [by Dr Peter Christofides] and ‘Mission of the Church in the Modern World’ [by Dr Marco Ceccarelli].
“It gave me a better sense of where I want to go as a Christian,” he added.