Game Plan for Life

The weekend’s Tri-Aphelion left Confirmation students from the Ramstein U.S. Military Base cheering for Christ

Taller Discussion group Arbeitsgruppe
Durante el retiro, en la Casa Sonnenau During the retreat, in House Sonnenau In Haus Sonnenau fühlten die Jugendlichen sich sehr wohl
Coro Choir Musikgruppe
Marilyn Targos, la encargada del retiro Marilyn Targos, confirmation teacher Marilyn Targos ist seit einigen Jahren verantwortlich für die Firmkatechese Fotos: Melissa Schmid © 2008

SCHOENSTATT, Melissa Ann Schmid. As they gathered together in House Sonnenau, Schoenstatt, over the weekend of January 25^th – 27^th, 77 teenagers were equipped with a game plan for life. These American teens from the U.S. Military Base in Ramstein are currently preparing for their Confirmation that will take place on Easter Sunday. Throughout the retreat’s events, they were continually asked: "Which team do you want to play for – Christ’s team, or the other guy’s team?"

Marilyn Targos has been the Confirmation teacher at Ramstein for the past three years. While still in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, she started as a religious education teacher with her own children. Then at the previous base, there was a desperate need for a Confirmation teacher. She hesitated to commit herself, as she didn’t know if she was the right person for the job, but once she agreed to do it, she took ownership of the program and is now in her 5^th year as a youth minister. She incorporates the Life Teen program into her ministry.

Life Teen is an international youth ministry program that originated in the United States. It was started in 1985 at St. Timothy’s Parish in Mesa, Arizona. The program consists of four components: Gather, Proclaim, Break, and Send. Gathering entails coming together as one community and helping teens to "break the ice" among one another in a goal to increase their comfort level. Proclaiming is preaching the Good News in a creative format that teens can relate to. Breaking involves dividing the teens into small discussion groups to explore the topic more in depth. Sending consists of wrapping up the session and encouraging the teens to go forth and be evangelizers of the faith.

"Life Teen meets the teens where they are," commented Marilyn as she remarked on how important it is that she continually assesses the group to identify their needs, "The program revolves around the Mass, which incorporates the teens in every way imaginable."

Schoenstatt: the perfect training field to engage in an exploration of God

The Ramstein U.S. Military Base has been coming to Schoenstatt for its Confirmation retreats for the past several years. Marilyn’s goal in bringing the teens to Schoenstatt is to expose them to the sisters for vocational purposes. Many of the teens have never before interacted with sisters. Marilyn was pleased with her decision to come to Schoenstatt right from the start of the weekend when they were cheerfully welcomed by Sr. Angela Macari, who proceeded to spend the entire retreat with the teens.

Sr. Angela coached the teens on vocations. She shared her personal story of embracing her vocation and how she visited a Schoenstatt Shrine for the first time in 8^th Grade with her Girl Scout troop. "I remember walking into the Shrine in Waukesha, Wisconsin and in awe, I said, ‘Oh how beautiful!’ After that, I wanted even more to become a Schoenstatt sister." She talked about how she became a sister when she was 18 years old and that her father had given his blessing on one condition: that she would come home if she wasn’t happy.

"Believe it or not, that’s what parents want for their children – happiness. They are not making you get confirmed. You are saying yes. You need to make the decision about being confirmed – about being Catholic. You are old enough to be responsible for your own souls."

Motivating the team to take ownership of the game

Sr. Angela challenged the teens to commit themselves to the Catholic community by choosing at least one ministry to devote their time to. She also highlighted the importance of praying for vocations.

"If you know that your vocation is marriage, pray everyday for your future spouse that he or she will be holy and pure. I think of the religious vocation as ‘A Call to Love’."

Discerning one’s vocation, she said, is a question concerning where or how we can love the most. In today’s society, FUN is thought of as Frequent Uncontrolled Nature. The more uncontrolled a person is, the more fun he is supposed to be having. "Rather, FUN really stands for Free Uplifting Nobility. Whenever you engage in activities that glorify God, you experience the utmost happiness."

Training has ended. Time to get out there and play!

On Sunday, no one was ready to go back to Ramstein. The weekend’s events had come and gone in the blink of an eye. All of the games had been played and all of the pep talks had been made. Now was the time to send the teens forth.

Everyone was wishing they had more time to spend in Schoenstatt. "It’s beautiful – a really pretty place. Everyone is so nice!" remarked Tierney Czapiewski, age 14. "It is really peaceful," chided her friend, Gabriel Mallette, age 15.

The two girls will be making their Confirmation on Easter Sunday with the rest of the group at Ramstein. They were both enthusiastic about all the wonderful lessons they had learned during the retreat.

"I learned that God is always there for you. If no one else is around, you can always talk to him," commented Tierney, who also spoke positively about her Life Teen group, "This weekend was great because we are one big family. The music was awesome, and everyone is able to speak our minds without others judging us."

"Yeah," agreed Gabriel, "no one is mean to each other, and we can count on one another. The adults are involved, and they relate to us. This weekend made me realize that I can always count on God, and that when something is bothering me, I should talk to friends and family about it instead of holding it in."

They will remember the inspiration from Schoenstatt out on the playing field

Not only were the Confirmation students impacted by the retreat, but also the members of the Core Team as well. Thomas Shaffer, age 18, is currently a Peer Minister for the Life Teen program. At this point in his life, he is discerning his vocation. He commented that this weekend helped him realize little characteristics about himself, like how he really enjoys helping others. These personal discoveries have added a few more pieces to his identity puzzle.

"Schoenstatt is such a holy place that touches people and a great place to come closer to God. I think of it as an exploration of God." It has been a perfect place for Thomas to spend some intimate time with God as he prays about his vocation.

"The kids love Schoenstatt, and it is such a powerful experience. We will definitely come back," exclaimed Marilyn, as she gathered the group together to board the buses.

As the buses left House Sonnenau at 2 p.m., it was obvious that the group had been transformed. They have every intention of returning to Schoenstatt again in the near future, perhaps for a summer youth program or Sr. Angela’s upcoming English pilgrimage. The group will continue to prepare for Confirmation to take place on Easter Sunday, and the Schoenstatt family joins them in prayer and wishes them a very holy and blessed day.