EDEN — The Lenten Season is a time to deepen our faith, fast from that which keeps us from God, and alms giving. Koinonia is a Greek word St. Paul used to describe the community of the early Church as a fellowship of faith, prayer, and worship. The 24th Koinonia retreat will be held March 23-25, at Camp Utaba in Eden, past Ogden Canyon. It will be based on God’s powerful love for each of us, and the Paschal Mystery: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. "This retreat is an opportunity to grow closer to God and the community of believers around you," said Rich Barra, a member of St. Catherine of Siena Parish and Newman Center, and a Koinonia organizer. "The retreat is open to everyone ages 17 and older. "In the past, Koinonia was known as the Adults and Teens Encounter Christ (ATEC) retreat. Koinonia is a weekend retreat held once each year," said Barra. "This retreat began in Utah in the early 1990s and for the first three years was put on by a 16-member team from Spokane, Wash. Koinonia is a national retreat program for adults and teens. It is a retreat you can only go on once as a candidate because you cannot repeat the same experience twice. From then on, you have to be part of the leadership team which consists of about 20 people. "It is meant to be a Lenten retreat, and a personal experience in the suffering and death of Jesus," said Barra. "We tell people it is an opportunity to have two entire days away from the hassles of work, school, the phone, family issues such as car pools and soccer practices, and instead spending two days actually thinking only about your relationship with God and with the people you love and who love you. Barra said most of us who have had a chance to be on retreat spend only two to six hours. That is really not enough time to get yourself away from the world. "Camp Utaba is in the mountains, it is pretty, it is quiet, and the phones don’t ring," said Barra. "This setting gives people an opportunity to think about relationships. The relationships we have with God and those we love, is all we have in this world. When we die, that is all that matters. We are so busy in our daily lives and routines, we fail to see it." Barra said Koinonia gives an opportunity to listen to 10 presentations of people’s life stories based on the topic for each day, and an opportunity to share in small groups. There is also time to meditate, pray, and attend Mass. Penny Lazalde, a Koinonia retreat organizer, said the experience is different for everybody ranging from modest to overwhelming. People should keep their expectations low and let the experience unfold one moment at a time and experience what God has to offer, and also witness what is happening to others. Tyler Boegler, a senior at Judge Memorial Catholic High School, said last year while he was driving up to Camp Utaba, he thought the retreat was going to be a waste of a weekend, and he was worried about getting behind on his homework. Now he cannot even remember his reasons for going in the first place. But when it was time to leave the retreat, he thought it was worth every minute and very beneficial. "At the retreat, you hear a lot about how we need to imitate Christ and do what he did," said Boegler. "It is difficult to do that, but this retreat gives you the tools needed to be with God in the Paschal Mystery. "Before the retreat, I was hiding from myself and hiding from God," said Boegler who has been a Catholic since birth and has attended Mass regularly. "I have never doubted God, but I did not put my faith in him. At the retreat, it felt like they were telling me to give myself to God. I thought, why not, it can’t hurt. So I did, and in a matter of seconds, my soul started healing and I felt at peace. That peace stayed with me the whole weekend. When I returned to school and the real world, the peace was still there, just not as deep." "This retreat empowers you to believe in God and reminds you to be like Christ," said Barra. "The reasons people go on this retreat vary widely. But God calls us over and over, and this is a way to listen." Lazalde said she went on the retreat because she thought she could hide out for the weekend, and that God actually hated her. But she realized God loves her and she has leadership skills. She received so much at the retreat she wants to continue to give back. Lazalde is a convert to the Catholic Church, and she said reaching out to those at Koinonia has helped her immensely. She has continued her conversion for the past eight years. Barra said, "I am a cradle Catholic who never paid any attention. I am a highly educated business capitalist, who has been very successful. I have no idea why I went to Koinonia. I know now the reason I went was because the team from Spokane spent a month praying for somebody to emerge who could take over the program. "After attending Koinonia, I went from a person who sometimes went to church on Sunday, never did anything for the church, and literally never prayed once in my entire life for anything or anybody to a person 180 degrees in the opposite direction," said Barra. "I went to the retreat, and immediately started changing. I now organize the retreat, and I volunteer at my parish and serve in the diocese. Everything I thought was important was not important. I learned relationships, taking care of people, and serving my community were important. Koinonia was a tremendous gift."
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