Holy Resurrection Cathedral hosts inaugural overnight retreat

On the eve of Lazarus Saturday/Vrbica the Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Chicago, IL hosted its first annual teen overnight retreat. Six girls attended this event, which provided a good mix of religion, culture, and socialization with friends.

The evening started off with Presanctified Liturgy, served by Fr. Vasilije Vranic and Dcn. John Charest (Ukrainian Orthodox Church). Retreat participants read from the Old Testament during this service. After the service, a Lenten meal was provided and there was a general religious discussion. After dinner, Fr. Vasilije gave a presentation on his trip to the Holy Land during Holy Week 2013, which was well received and enjoyed by all in attendance. Other evening activities included a round of “Holy Resurrection Jeopardy” and a scavenger hunt inside our Cathedral.

The next morning started off with Divine Liturgy served by Fr. Darko Spasojevic and Fr. Vasilije Vranic. After Liturgy, a Lenten breakfast was served, followed by a presentation entitled “Lazarus and the Friendship of God” by Nenad Djordjevic.

Retreat attendee Anastasija Iglendza remarks: “I along with five other teenage girls attended the first annual teen retreat at the church hall. I enjoyed every aspect of it from the jeopardy game and scavenger hunt, to the guest speaker Nenad Djordjevic and the talk about Holy Land. Not only was it fun for us because it felt like camp all over again, but also we learned new things about our faith, church, and religion. I’m sure that all the teens that attended this awesome event can agree that we had such a great time, that we wish to see this happen again once again during this year. We also hope to see some more boys and girls next time this happens because you definitely won’t regret going! Thank you to all the people that helped organize this amazing retreat!”

This retreat concluded just as our Cathedral’s annual youth Vrbica retreat began. Most of our overnight retreat participants stayed to help with our second retreat of the day.

All in all, our inaugural teen overnight retreat was a success and we plan on another in the future. Many thanks given to Fr. Vasilije Vranic and Zora Voynovich for their efforts in this endeavor, in addition to all the volunteers who helped to make this retreat possible.

John Buffalini

Source: serborth.org