Many students can point to a ‘mountain top’ faith-based experience while at Pius X. Jeff Schinstock, Youth Ministry Director for the Diocese of Lincoln, said those can come in the form of a retreat or pilgrimage. “Those experiences often give us deep and real encounters with God,” he said. “But what happens after that? God seeks us every day. He wants to share in our every moment. When we do recognize an encounter, how do we process that?”

Pius X English teacher, Katerina Jakub, explained how faith-building activities “are vital to the mission of Pius because they offer students an opportunity to encounter the person of Jesus.” Jakub continues, “In his book Young Catholic America, Christian Smith argues that other than the example of parents, mentors play the most influential role in the spiritual lives of young Catholics. Students are desperate for authentic witnesses to the Gospel who show by their lives that happiness is attainable. Activities like retreats, discipleship groups, and encounter groups promote these kind of mentor relationships and most importantly, create space in students’ lives for Jesus to speak to their hearts.”

Retreats

Going beyond the four years of Theology required to graduate Pius X, students are invited to encounter Christ through a variety of opportunities, including at least one retreat annually. Pius X Campus Ministry and the Diocese of Lincoln Youth Ministry Office offer retreats with different themes, with the goal of helping students to “grow in holiness” as they “step away from the busyness of our daily lives and pause to listen to God’s voice.”

Math teacher, Erin Masur, explained some of the benefits of participating in retreats: “There is a lot of noise that students are exposed to in society and social media, and retreats allow students to re-center themselves. Retreats enable them to reflect on their life and see how faith fits into their daily lives. It is always good to take a step back and do some reflection. Retreats allow students to do that in a safe environment.”

Derrek Sumner ’21 shared how each retreat he went on “left some sort of an impact” on his life:

“Even now, I will sometimes find myself recalling a specific moment at a retreat that has helped me grow in my spiritual life. The one retreat that I think has stood out the most to me would be the Sophomore Men’s Retreat….It was there that I really came to understand the gravity and overall importance of the sacrament of confession. Coming into it, I think I was the most open and receptive to God’s grace, compared to the other retreats, allowing Him to guide me wherever I needed to be guided at the time. During the Men’s Retreat, I had a really powerful encounter with Our Lord in confession. I realized that confession was where the three worlds meet: Heaven, hell, and Earth. It is where the Father in Heaven comes down to rescue us, His beloved; it is where Satan loses all power over us, and that battle is all found in a particular way on earth.”

Derrek Sumner ’21

I think that I still remember this encounter with Our Lord because of the sheer reality of what is actually happening in confession. It is now just an accepted truth for me. Going forward, I think it has propelled me to seek out confession more regularly, and to use confession as an opportunity to run into the Father’s loving and forgiving arms, instead of seeing going to confession itself as a penance for my sins. It is less about me messing up, no matter how bad, and more about accepting God and His forgiveness.

After high school, I have been blessed to be able to help out with some retreats at Pius….I would encourage students to do multiple retreats because even though there wasn’t always a super profound “spiritual experience,” God used each retreat, or even just a part of a retreat, as a stepping stone to the path that I am on now, which is one that I could not be more happy with! He used them to draw me ever closer to Himself and eternal fulfillment.

Science teacher and head softball coach, Jamie Reed ’09, spoke about the joy in serving as a retreat leader. “I love watching the laughter and joy in our team-building activities. It is humbling to witness the girls actively listening to the speakers, sharing their experiences and dreams with one another in small groups, and taking all of that to Jesus in Adoration.” Reed continues, “Leading the Female Athlete Retreat has been impactful in my own faith journey because I get a front row seat to seeing the amazing work God is doing in these young ladies’ lives. I get to witness some new and unique aspect of God as He is revealing Himself to them. It is cool to see how their experiences of sport translate into their spiritual lives. In fact, the two go hand in hand as athletics is our training ground for our life of discipleship (sacrifice, team player, self-discipline, eyes on the imperishable crown, etc.)….If they can play with the freedom knowing their true identity is a daughter of God, not an athlete, it can lead to true joy on and off the field.”

Spanish teacher, Tracy Chapelle ’90, described a few details from her favorite retreat, which offers Pius X students the opportunity to build relationships with community members, as well as with faculty and staff: “The service retreat is unique in that we are able to send students out into the community to help with projects throughout Lincoln. This year we did service work ranging from painting curbs at Calvary to playing charades at the Legacy/Arbors Memory Care….In the past few years we have added a scavenger hunt to the service retreat. Students have 35 minutes in small groups to figure out which faculty or staff has served in different ways in their life” with categories such as “worked for a non-profit agency, went on a mission trip, or currently volunteers somewhere.” This fun part of the retreat gives students the opportunity to seek out faculty and staff throughout the school, as they “get to learn more about the people that work at Pius, and they see that the adults at school serve in the world in multiple different ways which we hope will inspire them to also serve.”

Theology II Seminarian, David Tines ’16, shared a moving experience he’d had during a TEC retreat with Fr. Mills (who is now an assistant principal at Pius X). “Fr. Mills was one of the concelebrants at the mass and I remember being powerfully struck looking at his face while he was looking at the Eucharist. It was like seeing the passion of a husband gazing at his spouse, the calm pride of a man looking at his brother, and the wonder of a father looking at a newborn all at once.”

Another seminarian, Nik Barger ’21, shared how attending TEC helped with his discernment in considering a priestly vocation. “TEC (Teens Encounter Christ) is a retreat experience for high schoolers where they get to spend a weekend with their peers, generally at one of the Catholic high schools around the diocese. During this retreat, they have the profound opportunity to encounter Our Lord in a unique way that in my opinion is different than any other retreat….I had a deep love of Eucharistic Adoration and spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and TEC was able to deepen that love even further.” Barger continued, “TEC gave me a different outlook on my Catholic faith that I did not have before. I had the grace to attend with some of my friends and we were able to grow in our friendship through our love for Christ. I was also able to meet many new young Catholics my age with whom I am still close friends to this day. Through TEC, I was able to grow in a deeper, more intimate love of Jesus in the Eucharist, which was a great aid in my discernment and answering the call to enter the seminary.”

Nik also spoke of the importance of attending retreats, and how they helped deepen his faith. “For any student I think that taking a retreat every year is a vital and important thing to do as part of your life as a student at Pius X. Through the retreats that I was able to attend, specifically TEC and the Lincoln Diocesan Canoe trip, I was able to grow in a deeper understanding of my faith and a deeper love of prayer. But more than that, I fell deeper and deeper in love with Jesus Christ. I don’t think that I would have nearly as good of spiritual life, and definitely a weaker prayer life if I had not had these opportunities.” In addition to the impact of attending retreats, Barger shared how he has enjoyed assisting others at retreats after his graduation.

“Since entering the seminary right after I graduated from Pius X, I have been able to help at several retreats with Pius, as well as a few others including the Lincoln Diocesan Confirmation Retreats. I have also had the amazing opportunity to work at Camp Kateri Tekakwitha, the diocesan summer camp, for several summers and help youth have a deeper encounter with Our Lord through his creation and nature!” Barger also shared some saintly advice: “My biggest advice, I take from my confirmation saint, St. John Paul II, is ‘Be Not Afraid,’ cast yourself into the deep and allow yourself to be immersed in the love that our Lord has for you! Take the chance, you will not regret it!’”

Mission Trips

One of the overnight retreats students have the opportunity to attend is a mission trip with Christ in the City (CIC), a ministry serving the homeless in Denver, Colorado. Students have helped prepare and serve a meal while spending time with our friends in the park, and have participated in street ministry in downtown Denver, engaging our friends on the street in conversation.

Drew Odgaard ’20 shared a favorite memory from CIC: “One time, one of my homeless friends, Maritta, who struggled to find meals every day for herself, offered me some of her lunch one day during my street route walk. It was incredible to see that someone who didn’t have anything for herself offer what little she did have to me.” Odgaard was also struck by the “total selflessness amongst the missionaries…Whether it be a friend, someone to listen to your heartache, someone to laugh with, to cry with, a hug, or just the presence of someone who cares, the missionaries provided themselves as that vessel as they could. In both the homeless and the missionaries, I just simply saw Jesus in both of them.” Drew shared that participating in CIC, which is “big on Mother Theresa and living by her mission” helped her to “find ‘my Calcutta’ at home” by learning to “give yourself where you are needed,” whether serving the hungry or the homeless, or offering friendship “to a stranger who sits by themself in class.”

The class of 2022 Outstanding Senior, Dylan Kluthe, was also struck by his experience with Christ in the City: “The greatest impact this trip had on me was seeing the immense joy people with so little had.” Kluthe continued, “Throughout that week we were able to visit many of the homeless in Denver along with the Missionaries of Charity (Congregation established by Mother Teresa). They both showed immense joy in the little possessions they had. This reminded me of how gifted and fortunate we are in Lincoln and taught me that I should always be grateful for the opportunities we are given here in our lives.” The week-long Mission trip also helped “make new relationships, strengthen old ones, and create memories that will last a lifetime….we were able to form a great community with the group of us that went down. This trip allowed us to disconnect from the digital age and spend a week growing in relationships with each other and more importantly with God.”

“Going on the CIC mission trip was one of the best decisions I believe I have made. Just being there and walking the streets with former CIC missionaries was life-changing,” Mattie Andreasen ’22 shared. “While on this trip, I noticed that it doesn’t take much to change someone’s life. Just saying hello to someone can change their attitude about the day.” Andreasen “will never forget the bonds” she created, and recalled two people who especially impacted her:

“They were not living on the street anymore, but after sitting and talking to them at ‘lunch in the park’ that CIC hosts, I learned that they used to live on the street. And that they still come to ‘lunch in the park’ because they love the relationships they had created with CIC missionaries when they were helping them to get off the streets. They came to support those who were with them when life was difficult. And they never forgot what CIC did for them. I am so grateful that I met these two people, in particular, they changed my view on some of the little things in life and made me thankful for everyone I have to support me when I’m down.”

Mattie Andreasen ’22

Andreasen, like the others who shared their stories, highly encouraged others to participate in a mission trip or retreat. “You may not think that you need these experiences in your life, or you may feel that you have everything handled and no part of you is lost, but I promise after you experience the fullness of a missionary trip or the right retreat, you will know you have been changed. And you will be thankful you took the time out of your busy schedule to participate and grow.”

Tess Timmerman ’22 encourages students “to attend multiple retreats and mission trips because you never know what God might have in store for you at each unique event. God is always calling us into a deeper relationship and He will use any opportunity that you give Him to enter your heart. Be open to the beautiful possibilities that lay ahead and give Him a chance to touch your heart in a way that you have never experienced love before.”

Tori (Nagle) Collins ’18 remembers the impact of her junior year retreat had on her. “I loved going out and volunteering in the community it gave me a sense of purpose,” Collins said. “It taught me to give back to the community.”

Ongoing Discipleship Opportunities

In addition to retreats and mission trips, Pius X students also have frequent opportunities to attend Mass, participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, spend time with our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration, and experience many other faith-formation opportunities.

In February 2019, Pius X hosted the first “Restore,” an event inspired by the “Draw Near” series that Tom Korta (then principal, now chief administrative officer), chaplain Fr. Joseph Bernardo and the school’s campus minister experienced during a trip to St. James Academy in Kansas City. They witnessed the impact of powerful student testimonies, and wanted to bring something similar to Pius. A student member of campus ministry, Genevieve O’Gara ’19, coined the “Restore” event’s name based on our patron saint’s motto that guides our school, “Restore all things in Christ.” Anders Long, who shared his testimony during the inaugural event, shared about his loss of a family member as he discussed Naomi’s losses in the Biblical Book of Ruth, finding inspiration for how we can treat others. “The point of Ruth is that in our everyday lives, in our everyday tragedies, even the most insignificant people are a part of something really big: God’s plan.” In his closing remarks, Long gave the Restore attendees ‘homework’: “When you go to school, I want you to remember that you are a part of something bigger. I want you to talk to someone you don’t normally talk to. I want you to go to the chapel. I want you to be positive.” Today, Restore is offered monthly, including student testimony, adoration, an opportunity for confessions, prayer teams, praise and worship in the Pius X Chapel, followed by refreshments and social time.

Two programs at Pius X, each in their second full year, are helping students have conversations about their own faith life with their peers and a group mentor. Cecilia Minchow ’18, Campus Ministry Intern at Pius X, oversees the two endeavors. She noted these groups are a compliment to the Theology classes each student takes. “Theology classes are an amazing space to provide our students with ‘head-knowledge’, so our mission in Encounter is to focus on ‘heart-knowledge’, to allow the students an opportunity to truly know our Lord, and to create a foundation for life-long discipleship,” Minchow said. “Small groups are one of the most impactful forms of evangelization because we are made for community – we are not meant to run this race alone.”

Inspired by the FOCUS “Method Modeled by the Master,” Pius X launched the Encounter Mentor program in 2020. The program goals are to provide a culture of encounter and witness, through the elements FOCUS founder Curtis Martin described as “Divine Intimacy, Authentic Friendship, and Clarity and Conviction about Spiritual Multiplication.” Pius X students build their faith during weekly small group meetings, where mentors share a video, followed by discussion questions. Groups of young men meet with a male mentor, and groups of young ladies meet with a female mentor, helping students tackle thought-provoking questions to help build their faith in a supportive environment with their peers. Encounter groups are freshmen small group conversations taking place every Tuesday during their theology class time. Up to eight freshmen gather with a mentor – typically a parent, young adult or college-age alumni – to go over topics impacting teens. Discipleship groups are optional for students in grades 10-12, and meet outside the school day.

“The idea of coming together in small group mirrors what our Lord did himself,” said Fr. Joseph Bernardo, campus co-chaplain. “He came into this world, and chose a group of 12 to enter into a relationship with, and even then had a smaller group of Peter, James and John, and had a closer relationship with those three.”

“The idea of coming together in small group mirrors what our Lord did himself,” said Fr. Joseph Bernardo, campus co-chaplain. “He came into this world, and chose a group of 12 to enter into a relationship with, and even then had a smaller group of Peter, James and John, and had a closer relationship with those three.”

Fr. Joseph Bernardo, Pius X co-chaplain

More than 100 sophomores, juniors and seniors choose to participate in discipleship, and even more are active in their parish youth ministry programs, Minchow said. The number of faith mentors has already grown to about 30 each year, including faculty and staff, alumni, and community members, who have also been impacted by opportunities to grow in their own faith as they work with their student mentees.

“At the start of the year, the students didn’t really know each other, and the time was often left in silence; however, as the year progressed, the students started to feel more comfortable with each other and were much more open to discussing their faith,” said Erin Masur, a math teacher at Pius X. “It was cool to see.”

What does it mean that people want to be faith mentors for students? It’s encouraging for Fr. Bernardo to witness this level of engagement.
“It tells me that they recognize something hugely important, especially the college kids,” he said. “They just got through high school, and as they get to college a lot of them are still growing in faith and are realizing, ‘Gosh, I wish I had this’.”

A key difference between encounter groups and discipleship groups is how they are formed and what they discuss.

“As a discipleship group, they can choose what topics they want to get into,” Fr. Bernardo said. “Their freshman year everything was planned out for them. The discipleship group is more intentional. Who is in the group, what topic do we want to dive into, and so you see a lot more of that personalized aspect of small groups so they can form that group in the way they want to.”

Katarina Jakub shared the growth she saw in her student mentees’ lives. “I mentored a group of young women from their sophomore year to senior year, and I witnessed their courageous commitment to holiness as high school students. We spent our time together praying, reading Scripture and meditations from the saints, and sharing our lives. I witnessed this group mature and internalize their identity as daughters of our Heavenly King. I look forward to meeting with them again over Christmas break to hear how they are evangelizing on their college campuses.” Jakub also expressed how her own faith journey was impacted, by serving as a mentor. “I was moved by the faith of the young women in my discipleship group and struck by their deep trust in the Lord, even during difficult times of their lives. They challenged each other to be more intentional in their prayer lives and how they spread the Gospel to their peers. After our time together, I often felt encouraged and inspired in my own journey towards sainthood. Their readiness to fast together or follow-up on goals that individuals had set for themselves helped me understand the importance of accountability and community in our journeys.”

A few years ago, Fr. Bernardo and Jeff Schinstock read The Art of Forming Young Disciples by Everett Fritz. One key point from the book was to not judge success based on how many people show up, but by fully engaging with those who do.

“In my mind, one of the key roles of the mentor is to help them to that point of vulnerability, to open up and talk about the things that are serious in their live,” Fr. Bernardo said. “As they are vulnerable with each other, they trust each other more. The important part is that they start to realize they are known and loved by someone. There’s a greater sense that I’m known and loved by someone. And that’s really the core of what we want these discipleship groups to be. “

• Minchow has already witnessed the impact these groups can have. A few include:
• one student told her mentor that she was her biggest role-model in faith;
• a discipleship student who graduated last year has already come back to be an Encounter mentor because of the fruits he received in the program;
• Encounter groups that are assigned by chance continue on as a discipleship groups because their connections are so strong,
• groups will hang out together outside of their meetings and attend Mass or Restore together.

Schinstock wants students and mentors to have genuine conversations with each other, talking about important issues and having time for prayer. “Being a missionary for Christ means testifying to his presence and work in your life,” he said. “In our groups, we spend time really going through where God has been in our most important moments and we give a place that is comfortable to tell our own story.”