Valdocco Retreat

By Mrs. Amy Stockinger, Program Coordinator, Province Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry

(New Rochelle, NY – February 28) – From Friday, February 16, through Sunday, February 18, 101 participants—along with members of young, junior, and core teams, as well as adult chaperones—gathered at the Don Bosco Retreat Center for the newly renamed “Valdocco Retreat.” This retreat replaces the previous January Salesian Leadership Retreat.

The Valdocco Retreat is geared towards providing an opportunity for young people to encounter Jesus while introducing them to a deeper understanding of Salesian spirituality in an overnight retreat setting. There were six young team members from Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa, Our Lady of the Valley in Orange, and St. John Bosco Parish in Port Chester. Five junior core team members supported the young team. They are alumni from Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, and Cristo Rey Tampa.

Additionally, the young people who participated in the retreat came from both the U.S.and Canada and represented 12 different parishes and schools. These young people were able to listen to witness talks by their peers, enter in small and large group sharing with both local and other groups, attend Mass, adoration, and Reconciliation, and meet new friends. Moreover, they were able to reflect on how they experience Valdocco at their local school/parish and what they will bring back with them from the retreat.