Young adult retreat to focus on discipleship

Friday, Feb. 20, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — On a day set aside for spiritual renewal, Dominican Father Jeffrey Ott, the keynote speaker for the Diocese of Salt Lake City Young Adult Lenten Retreat, will explore Lenten themes; his theme will be “On the Joy of Discipleship.”

“Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, but it’s also a time of spiritual renew, which is a call to renew our call to discipleship of Christ,” said Samantha Almanza, director of the diocese’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, who is organizing the retreat. “I think that in Utah it’s very rare to be a young Catholic adult because of the dominant culture here. It’s just hard, and it can be exhausting. To be able to find joy in discipleship is really important for everyone, but especially for young adults so that they can continue to practice their faith. We’re taking a cue from Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) and we’re going to focus on the joy of discipleship.”

Fr. Ott is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Atlanta, Ga. Born and raised in New Orleans, he has master’s degrees in theology and divinity from the Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis. After being ordained a priest in San Antonio, Texas, he served as the university chaplain at his alma mater, Xavier University in New Orleans for seven years.

He hopes those attending the retreat come away with “in their hearts and minds a mission, a sense of being a disciple of Jesus, and what that means for each one in particular,” he said. 

As the Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis embodies the spirit of bold humility; he is a person of compassion and mercy, “and I really want the young adults to feel that and understand that and feel they are a part of that, wherever they are in their lives,” Fr. Ott said.

As a person serves others as a disciple of Christ and understands that his or her purpose is for the greater glory of God, “then one of the by-products is joy,” Fr. Ott said. “We can’t get to joy directly; it’s something we receive when we are doing the work of discipleship.” 

Fr. Ott was the keynote speaker at last year’s diocesan Lenten retreat, which Almanza enjoyed, and she decided he would be a good presenter for her ministry.  

“He’s very engaging and he has a very high level of energy and his presentation style is so different because he incorporates the music that I thought it would be a good match for the young adults,” she said.

“Fr. Jeffrey brings a great approachability and a great sense of humor,” agreed Dominican Father Carl F. Schlichte, pastor of Saint Catherine of Siena Newman Center at the University of Utah. “He builds rapport with people easily and especially with youth and young adults, making it easier to hear what he is teaching.”

The retreat is intended to gather young adults so they can explore some Lenten themes with others in their age group, Almanza said. Lent is a season of spiritual renewal, she pointed out, “and sometimes our lives are so busy that we don’t give the time that we need to seek spiritual renew. This is a time that is set aside; you can just go and reap the benefits of the retreat.”

WHAT: Diocese of Salt Lake City Young Adult Lenten Retreat

WHEN: Sunday, March 22, 1-6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Christ the King Catholic Church, 690 S. Cove Drive, Cedar City