a By now you have already worked with the Diocesan Contact Person (DCP) to book a specific date and time frame for the NET team to come to your parish. Now, it’s time to take care of the details. Step 1 Completely fill out the Retreat Information Sheet (RIS) as given to you by the Diocesan Contact Person.Use a separate retreat information sheet for each retreat you are hosting. STEP 2 Return the RIS to your DCP by the established deadline. Returning the RIS on time confirms your retreat date and enables the DCP to complete the other arrangements for the team’s schedule. STEP 3 Read all instructions below. Retreat Length and Time Age and Group Size Retreat Length, Time, Age, and Group Size Guidelines The ideal length of a one-day NET retreat is six hours. We recommend that a retreat be at least four hours, but not longer than 10 hours unless it is an overnight or weekend retreat. Please follow the guidelines below to show courtesy to the host families and ensure adequate rest for the team: NET Teams may not travel before 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 p.m. (including pickups from host families in the morning). Retreats cannot begin before 8:30 a.m. (even if your school day starts earlier) The team cannot travel more than 300 miles on a retreat day. The team cannot to travel more than 450 miles on any day. The team must arrive at the retreat site a minimum of one hour prior to the start of the retreat. The team may only do one retreat with one group of youth on any given day. Optional: Reconciliation and/or Mass on Retreat We think it’s great if you’d like Mass and/or Reconciliation to be included as part of your NET retreat. It’s up to you and, of course, the availability of your local priest. Indicate your preference on the Retreat Information Sheet. The team will work with you and your priest to make Mass a meaningful part of the retreat. When the team leader calls to coordinate the retreat, you can discuss music, readings, and other logistics. Offering Reconciliation as a part of any retreat is a great option. We highly recommend Reconciliation be available on all overnight and weekend retreats. Please provide one Confessor for every 12 young people to ensure Reconciliation will not run too long. Please note: The team will generally schedule Prayer Ministry to happen at the same time as Reconciliation. This time begins with a drama and two team testimonies. We typically allow about 15 minutes of team time with the youth before the priests begin hearing confessions. Retreat Themes 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. With Great Power (Confirmation) With great power comes great responsibility! At confirmation we unlock a greater access to the gifts of the holy spirit. Many of us do not realise the great power that comes with this. This talk explores the personal experience of young people who open themselves to the action of the holy spirit after confirmation. This talk is suitable for all confirmation programs. In His Image (Identity) Remember who you are. By our baptism we are adopted as God’s sons and daughters. This is not to be earned, but because of God’s grace. You’re a soccer player. You’re a dancer. You’re intelligent. You’re funny. There is one identity you don’t have to earn. It’s the one you were born with. Fully Alive (True Happiness) Only God is big enough to fill you. The pursuit of happiness defines every decision we make. With only one life to live it’s important to know that God is the source and satisfactions of every desire. You have one life to live for one thing- what will it be? Anchored in Hope (Suffering) “There is no cross, big or small, in our life which the Lord does not share with us.” – Pope Francis, Evangelli Gaudii Suffering does not have the last word. Jesus does. Suffering is all around us. We can suffer in despair, void of hope or we can live in the reality of the resurrection mindful that Jesus has conquered suffering. When storms rage, boats will rock. When you suffer, what or who is your anchor? One Church One universal home guaranteed by God Jesus builds His Church on Peter and promises His presence. She is a sure shelter in whom all men can find a home. What if there was an institution we could trust when our own reasoning fails us? What if there was an institution guaranteed by God himself to withstand every difficulty the world offers? There is. Strength in Numbers (Authentic Friendship) True friends walk together through their weakness. Our character is marked by strengths and weaknesses- others can exploit or protect them. True friends walk with each other through their weakness. If you could go into battle side by side with anyone in your life, who would it be? Who’s got your back? True Grit (Men’s Session) Real men lay their lives down for others. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. True manhood is recognized in laying down one’s life for others. Being a man demands laying down one’s life for another. Fewer and fewer men are willing to respond to this difficult call. Do you have true Grit? Dignified (Women’s Session) Say “yes” to God. Say “yes” to love. God did not become man without first giving Mary a choice to say, “yes”. Her choice ushered in a new era for mankind and introduced us to a selfless love the world had never known. You have dignity. You have the power to make God’s love incarnate. The Journey (Advent) We are each on a journey. Many journeyed 2000 years ago to visit a child during this season we call advent. But what sort of child attractions the attention of the world leaders of the time? When we see that it was truly God who became truly a man, we can be open to the journey he invites us to embark to become like him. The Joy of the Gospel (Christmas) In Pope Francis’s letter, The Joy of the Gospel, he writes, “Christianity spreads through the joy of disciples who know that they are loved and saved.” Christmas time is a reminder of two things. The Joy of a the newborn savior. And the reminder we are loved and saved. This talk explores what we can do to bring the Joy of the Gospel to the world (by focusing on the knowledge of God’s love and saving grace). Heroic 40 (Lent) Commit to the heroic 40; Forty days and forty nights of prayer with guaranteed results. Think about the many diet plans that promise great results “in just forty days”. What would the world be like if we took these 40 days of lent to truly grow closer to God? This talk explores the way in which God can transform a life by consistent habits of prayer and seeking him. Risen (Easter) Jesus rose from the dead so that we can live. This phrase can easily be seen as being very disconnected to a young person’s daily faith experience. St Paul writes in 1 Cor 15:14, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” This talk demonstrates that Christ’s rising from the dead has a direct impact on the lives of those who follow him. Weekend Retreats Inquire about these with our scheduling department. Minnesota Based Retreats Confirmation Weekend Retreat at the NET Center: Click here for more information Retreat Facility It is most helpful to have a facility that includes: A large enough meeting room for all of your youth. Enough chairs for everyone. Ten spaces such as small rooms or hallways that can be used for small group discussions. A chalkboard or dry-erase board. A podium or music stand for the team member giving the talk. A microphone (especially if the group is over 75 young people). A chapel or the main church for Prayer Ministry at the end of the retreat. Please Note: If you are hosting an overnight retreat, please choose a site that will provide hot water showers for the team and at least two separate sleeping areas for the men and women. Publicizing Your Retreat Team Photo Your Diocesan Contact Person will send you a digital photo of the team that will be coming to your parish along with a listing of the names, ages, and hometowns of each team member. This same information is also available on our website. You can use this photo to make your own posters or to send along to parents or host families. Please note: For fall retreats, your photo will arrive by mid September. For spring retreats, your photo will arrive by mid December. Posters Download our retreat posters here. If you would like hard copies mailed out, please contact Jenelle at 651.450.6833 or [email protected]. For Parents Download our “What is NET” PDF for parents. Sample Schedule Download Sample Schedule Promo Video Feel free to show our retreat promotional video to anyone interested: Housing and Feeding the NET Team You are responsible for securing housing for the team the days that your DCP has assigned your parish.