Catholic retreats for your youth ministry program

Find out if we’re coming to your area!

TEAMS

Each year, NET Ministries sends over 120 young adults across the country in teams of 11-12 to proclaim the Gospel to Catholic youth. The NET teams will share their love of Christ and the Church with over 60,000 youth from September to May. They come from a wide variety of states and countries. Our team members have been trained in the teachings of the Catholic Church and formed as brothers and sisters in Christ, a quality young people consistently notice and to which they are attracted.

RETREATS

Choose from retreats that last from five hours to the entire weekend. NET conducts junior high, senior high, Confirmation, and mixed-age retreats. We provide a variety of retreat themes, dramatic skits, and lively songs, making every retreat a unique experience. While the theme varies, the basic message is always the same: “In Jesus Christ, the son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all, as a gift of God’s grace and mercy.” (Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI) NET retreats are a great component to integrate into your existing Catholic youth ministry program or to use as a youth group night. They even work well for parishes and schools without a youth ministry program.

GOALS

Our retreat goals are to help young people understand God’s love for them, to offer faith of the team members as a witness to the youth that faith in God is a desirable, acceptable, and exciting part of their lives, and to encourage young people to grow in their commitment to Jesus Christ and His Church. Youth ministers and youth ministry leaders find that their youth group, Confirmation students, and faith formation students connect well with the team members because their own youthful experience allows them to be heard and understood by teens.

SAFETY

NET Ministries screens each team member with an extensive application process which includes criminal background checks, VIRTUS training, and a commitment to our conduct policies.

INVOLVEMENT

Our experienced team members take care of most everything, including retreat content, set up, and tear down. Your level of involvement is up to you. With our pre-packaged retreats, we partner with you to ensure a perfect match for your group’s needs.

RETREAT THEMES

Choose Your Own Adventure

God has given each of us an inner longing to pursue the great adventure of faith, pointing us toward our ultimate end in Him. This theme explains God’s desire to fulfill our heart’s longings, and describes the free will He gives us to choose or reject Him. Through an interactive demonstration, youth see how sin leaves us lost and how Christ is calling us to the path of His great adventure.

Made to Be

This retreat addresses our need for a relationship with God and how prayer is the path for that relationship. We will look at communication in our world today and what relationships can tell us about the Lord. Through a relationship with the Lord, we can have an abundant life, not just lives of mediocrity.

You Will Receive Power

We already received the Holy Spirit at baptism. Why do we need more? This retreat explores the sacrament of Confirmation by exploring its relationship to the powerful experience of Pentecost. The youth will be invited to explore the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they equip us for daily life.

Reality Check

In the world today, there are many outside influences that can affect the lives of young people. Most of what we see in the media presents a false reality – truth and happiness are distorted. This theme takes a look at how the world influences the way we live our lives, and how God presents us with a new, life-giving reality.

Why Catholic?

This theme explores the beauty and richness of the Catholic Church. As we are all members of the Body of Christ, it is important for youth to understand the uniqueness of that identity. This theme is intended to further young people’s relationship with God and make Him a daily part of their lives.

Strength and Beauty

This retreat focuses on our unique call as God’s sons and daughters. Since young men and women have different struggles and needs, a portion of this retreat is divided, tailoring specific talks for each gender. In this age where society has blurred the line of our identities, this is a great way for the youth to understand the significance of their unique calling.

Weekend Retreats

We also have weekend retreats available. Inquire about these with our scheduling department.

View our other Catholic youth ministry events.