SUMMIT 24 retreat brings ‘joy and love of the Eucharist’ to high school students

Maura Baker

Staff Writer

A joyous morning of prayer, dancing and song opened up Saturday morning of the SUMMIT 24 Eucharistic Retreat for high school students — just the beginning of a day of prayer and community for the young people in attendance.

This three-day retreat, Nov. 15–17, held hours of both celebration and reflection centered around the Eucharist, as well as this year’s retreat theme (which corresponds with the theme of the 2025 jubilee year), “Pilgrims of Hope.” Days consisted of Adoration, prayer and Mass, as well as educational sessions and free time to interact with fellow retreaters. This year, SUMMIT 24 welcomed 150 students.

This year’s retreat was also more diverse, according to Angie Poat, diocesan youth minister and orchestrator for the event, saying that “students came from new schools, new parishes and even from Ohio.”

“It was a blessing to see the students receive the joy of the Lord, and to grow in their depth and love for the Eucharist,” said Mrs. Poat. “They gained renewal in their own faith to be surrounded by such on-fire Catholics who were headed in the same direction as they are.”

Another “special” aspect of this year’s retreat, as Mrs. Poat described, was greater involvement in leadership from the students themselves — both from the SUMMIT core team and the YCET team, who had “larger roles in presenting the retreat.”

Following the retreat, one senior student expressed gratitude for the opportunities presented by SUMMIT 24, saying, “I am grateful for the people I met during this retreat and for the intimate relationship with God that I had in Adoration.”

The diocesan office of youth ministry is currently “building follow-up opportunities to SUMMIT,” said Mrs. Poat, which will tie in with the Eucharistic Revival and the Church’s year of mission. “We’re doing that with our young people,” she said.

Youth ministry is also gearing up for their next major “Connect” event in February, which serves a similar role as SUMMIT for junior high students.

For more information on Diocesan youth ministry events and programming, visit https://covdio.org/youth/.