Now in its sixth year, the Sursum Corda young adult weekend, put on by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, ran from August 12th to August 15th of 2016. The campus of the University of Our Lady of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois, once again rang with chanted Latin prayers, beautiful music, and the laughter of friends old and new.
Some participants came from mere minutes away, while at least one made an international trek. Never minding the distance, all who attended the retreat were immersed in a charitable, joyful environment imbued with the Institute’s family spirit: old friendships were renewed and new ones were forged amid a daily schedule centered around the Sacred Liturgy, with plenty of time allotted for spiritual conferences and recreation. Whether we were assisting at Holy Mass; playing volleyball; taking a Rosary walk to the Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown; chanting Compline, or singing and acting in an uproarious talent show, there joy and true fraternal charity abounded.
Removed temporarily from our busy day-to-day lives, we who attended the weekend received excellent instruction on both apologetics and the Sacred Liturgy. These conferences radically altered our own participation at Holy Mass, helping us to orient and conduct ourselves well and to be better disposed to receive the abundant graces poured out upon us at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and at our reception of Holy Communion. One participant commented, “I’m beyond thankful I had this opportunity. It changed my life, and I’m more in love with my faith and more proud to be Catholic than ever before. I don’t know how I could repay Our Lord […] the Truth of our Faith is more beautiful than I could have ever imagine[d.]” Our eyes were opened by the beautiful instruction we received in the conferences, and then immediately applied both on the retreat and back in our everyday lives.
Likewise, frequent opportunities for Confession and Spiritual Direction allowed us to repair and renew our spiritual lives, re-strengthening us for the constant battles faced in the world, whatever our vocations may be. Whether one was single; discerning religious life; or embarking on the workshop time of engagement, and whether new to the Traditional Latin Mass or a long-time attendee, no-one left spiritually hungry. Fittingly, we ended on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, with this beautiful Marian feast day serving as a reminder of our Heavenly Mother’s constant prayers and protection. We left renewed and refreshed, ready to spread the Social Reign of Christ the King, for, as St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans, “if God be for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31)
– Rebekah Wieglos