With the end of the year only days away it’s natural to take a glance backward and give our ministry some sort of grade: Has it been successful or not?

The year began with two members on the retreat team. Sr. Rita Marie Cuevas, OND and Rovelyn Evangelista, a NDCFC graduate. Several months into the retreat season we were blessed with the arrival of Bro. Noel Garcia, OMI. With these three how could the year not be successful? However, for a more objective evaluation one ought to question the hundreds of college and high school students who make their retreats and recollections with us.

Before the first group arrived last June, we tried to spruce up the grounds and the buildings a little. There had been some complaints that our mattresses and pillows were not smelling like roses. So we aired out all the mattresses and opened up the pillows and washed all the stuffings and replaced lots of beddings.

Time is so limited in a two-day retreat it is challenging to prioritize what we can offer our guests. We explain that a retreat is a time to examine one’s life and relationships with parents and relatives, our relationships at school and with ‘barkada’, with themselves, and with God. We have activities to help in these evaluations.

The vast majority of the students (including those coming from our Catholic Schools) are poorly educated in their faith and in their understanding of the mass and sacraments so we have inputs on these subjects, especially in preparing for the sacrament of Penance. Most have gone to confession only once or never in their life even though they are Catholics.

We also prepare them for the future. I remember back in 1969 when I became Director of Notre Dame of Libungan. I asked advice from Fr. Joe Quinn, OMI, then in Pigcawayan. In his usual homespun wisdom, he said, "Make your student’s 4 years in Notre Dame the happiest 4 years in their life because after graduation most will return to the barrio and their life will be very hard."

Well at least back then high school graduates had farm to return to. Today this is no longer true. There is not enough money to continue schooling, so the new graduates head to the cities and towns looking for jobs. But with only high school diploma, there are not many good jobs waiting there for them. Many just return to their parents’ home not knowing what to do. Some feel that God is not fair and question God’s love.

Another very serious problem we meet is that many or very many of the students come from broken families. They suffer deep pain because of this. We have private sessions with these students. This always seems helpful, but is never enough.

During their short time with us, we try to prepare them spiritually for the future that awaits them. Hopefully, they will not feel like failures if their dreams are never realized. We help them to know that God loves them and to see their life as it is in the eyes of God and to understand that success and true happiness is not always the way the world describes it.

I mentioned above that the best way to evaluate our ministry would be to ask those who have made a retreat with us. But not being able to do this, I can tell you that when it is time for our young people to return home, most are not ready to leave. They want to stay even though they have wept many tears during the retreat. Most will tell you that they have experienced God’s love in a way that they had never experienced Him before and they are grateful.