Young adults' retreat set

If there is one word to describe young adulthood, according to organizers of an upcoming retreat, the word is "busy."

Young adults, defined as people 18 to 35, "have a lot on their plates," said Tom Frieberg, Catholic campus minister at Union College in Schenectady and co-director of an upcoming retreat sponsored by the Young Adult Commission of the Albany Diocese.

He will join Loretta Brown, youth minister at St. Mary/St. Paul's Church in Hudson Falls; and Rev. Mark Allman, associate pastor of Christ the King Church in Guilderland, in directing the Oct. 17-18 retreat at the Dominican Spiritual Life Center in Niskayuna.

Commitments

"For me as a young adult, Church is a full-time ministry. The challenge is balancing my commitments," Miss Brown said. "For others, it's finding time to fit Church into their life. Faith can be the glue that helps us keep the balance."

Young adults struggle to integrate work, values, study, family, relationships and other commitments with faith, Church and God. The retreat, Mr. Frieberg explained, will help address "What does my work life mean as a Catholic? How should my faith fit into my life?"

The retreat will also provide young adults with an opportunity to learn more about their faith and Church teachings. "This will be an opportunity for catechesis and faith formation," he said. "There is a curiosity on the part of young adults to know their faith more deeply."

Table of contents

The retreat will consist of group discussions, time for quiet reflection, meals and liturgy. "It's not going to be constant activity," Mr. Frieberg said. "There will be silence and quiet. Time to slow down inside."

The retreat will also provide participants with the opportunity to meet other people struggling with the same issues. Miss Brown hopes participants will walk away knowing, "'I'm not the only young adult who struggles. There are others out there.' The retreat will be an opportunity to share with other young adults faith, challenges, struggles and joy."

Mr. Frieberg agreed, saying: "We hope they discover other people like themselves. They're not alone in their hunger for spirituality, and they can find a Church community."

(Registration for the Oct. 17-18 retreat is required by Oct. 6. The cost, $65 per person, includes overnight accommodations and meals. For information, call 388-6087.)

(10-02-97)