Called to Greatness Survey - 5th grade retreat

Dear Parent,

Thank you for completing this brief 10-minute survey for parents who currently have a 3rd-5th grade student attending a Catholic School or parish religious education program.  This survey will be open for submissions through February 23, 2025.

The Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph is considering establishing a camp/retreat center in partnership with Conception Abbey, which would represent a significant investment toward youth ministry and would impact every child in every parish. One important function of this facility is to provide a suitable place to host a retreat for all 5^th graders in our diocese. This retreat is part of our diocesan Youth to Young Adult Initiative: "The Way".

Before proceeding with such an important endeavor, we need your input! 

The Called to Greatness 5th grade retreat is a truly unique encounter with Jesus for each child and will serve as the capstone of their remote preparation for receiving Confirmation. "Remote" preparation refers to all sacramental preparation that occurs in the years leading up to the year of Confirmation, which is when formal preparation begins. Formal preparation for this final Sacrament of Initiation will ordinarily take place in 6^th grade. 

The “Called to Greatness” retreat for 5th graders will be offered to boys and girls separately.

Location:   Diocesan Retreat Center @ Conception Abbey
Duration:   3 days/2 nights
Facilitator: Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph staff, key parish/school volunteers, and parent chaperones

For the past 15 years, the diocese has annually offered the Middle-school summer camp, Camp Savio, during the summer for  6-8^th grade students (including incoming 6^th graders). We currently hold this camp at Conception Abbey where we hope to build a future facility that will better serve our needs, including this proposed 5^th grade retreat and other activities to foster faith formation especially for youth and families. The new retreat center planned for the site at Conception Abbey, is about 90 minutes north of Kansas City, between St. Joseph and Maryville.  This facility will provide a safe environment for children to experience the presence of God, enjoy nature, and engage in fun and formative activities.  The proximity of the beautiful basilica church,  monastery grounds, and rural countryside will contribute to the spiritual experience of the retreat.

To ensure the safety of children at all diocesan, parish and Catholic school activities, the diocese has in place Safe Environment protocols and policies (Excellence and Integrity in Ministry policy, Virtus Training and Compliance, Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect Mandated Reporter Training, and Background Checks) which you can read more about here (https://kcsjcatholic.org/office/child-youth-protection/training/) and will ensure adult supervision from staff employees and parental chaperones.

Please watch this brief video from Bishop Johnston, which provides the context for this survey.  Then, continue to the survey below.

The timing of this retreat is purposeful. A recent respected study found that the median age at which the young adults surveyed decided to leave religion is the age of 13, and some were only age 10 when they stopped believing. It is extremely important to note that teens who make a personal decision to follow Jesus are highly likely to remain believers into adulthood. 

5th grade children are at an ideal age for a vivid and profound experience of God and the spiritual life which will be remembered and carried through life. We seek to facilitate an encounter with Christ that will deepen their friendship with Christ and bind them to Him and His Church.

Called to Greatness will be a “kerygmatic” retreat. This means that the essential kernel of the Gospel message is proclaimed to each 5th grader with an invitation to respond and commit to Christ and the Church.  Children will encounter Christ through six interactive sessions. Tapping into the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere of Conception Abbey and its grounds, the Called to Greatness retreat seeks to open the door for each child to experience the love of Christ and the wonder of being part of God’s plan.

In addition, the retreat will present Mary as their loving Mother, and will introduce the lives of several young, modern saints to serve as role models for our 5th graders. Prayer and the Sacraments (confession, Mass in the Basilica, Adoration, etc.) will be an integral part of the retreat, and fun recreational activities that complement the retreat themes will be woven throughout.