BELMONT — The Diocese of Charlotte's first vocations retreat for young women, Duc In Altum, concluded July 1 with the celebration of Mass at Belmont Abbey.
More than 50 teenagers attended the week-long retreat, which included prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, daily Mass, confessions, as well as vocation discernment talks by women religious, priests and laity. Throughout the retreat, they were encouraged to cultivate silence in their prayer life as well as in their daily life, so as to be able to listen to God's voice above all others.
Bishop Peter Jugis was the main celebrant for the closing Mass, offered on the first feast of St. Junipero Serra, and he drew from the newly canonized saint's words as inspiration for his homily. Bishop Jugis encouraged them, like the Franciscan missionary traversing the American West, to "keep moving forward" with the Lord.
"He is canonized as a saint because he was known for his personal holiness and his spirit of self-denial, sacrifice and his absolute trust in God and all his work for the Lord," Bishop Jugis said, noting the many missions the saint had founded in the western United States.
"Everything he did, probably daily, he repeated that saying to himself as he said his daily prayers: 'Keep moving forward.' It's a message from the saint that you can take to heart as you move forward from this Duc In Altum. Keep moving forward. Keep making progress. Never turn back, and never remain stationary or stagnant," Bishop Jugis said.
He then drew a connection between St. Junipero Serra's words and the words of the Gospel of the day from Matthew 9:9-13, in which Jesus tells St. Matthew, "Follow Me."
"Those words, 'Follow Me,' we can understand in two ways," Bishop Jugis explained. "In the first way, St. Matthew physically follows Jesus – literally walking behind Jesus, following in His footsteps. It reminds us that Jesus always walks before us, as the Good Shepherd walked before His flock, and we follow Him. He walks before each one of you and says, 'Follow Me.' He is leading you in your walk with Him."
The second way, Bishop Jugis continued, is in how to follow Jesus in our hearts: "Heeding His voice, which you have been doing this week. Listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Responding with a 'yes' to the movements of His grace in your life, wherever the Lord happens to be moving you. Being directed by His Holy Spirit."
Jesus Himself was always moving forward, Bishop Jugis also noted. "The Gospel tells us that He set His sights specifically on Jerusalem and He never stopped pursuing His goal, which was our salvation, there in Jerusalem. He never stopped following that course.
"So as you leave this Duc In Altum, inspired by today's Scripture readings and the feast of our wonderful saint who labored on our own continent, our own soil for Christ, dedicate yourself again to pursuing your walk with the Lord. In your personal life, continue to move forward with Him, with God as your goal, and with God with you on your journey, always growing in holiness."
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Photos by Megan Whiteside and SueAnn Howell.
