Teens Go Soul Surfing At Sonfest 2004

ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

Published: August 19, 2004

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla.—For Kelli Sims, it was one night that changed her life—the night that Jesus showed the power of his merciful love to her in a most extraordinary way.

It was the third night of Sonfest, the annual beach retreat held June 6-10, which drew over 500 teens from across the archdiocese. In the middle of a week filled with sun, fun and faith, Christ was about to encounter Kelli in a new way.

In the middle of a massive room in the Emerald Coast Conference Center, atop a platform made of wood and surrounded by candles, was a pedestal for Jesus, present in the Blessed Sacrament.

As the Barefoot Missionaries led praise and worship music, Father Kevin Peek, chaplain at Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell, processed throughout the room with the golden monstrance. He paused in front of each person, so that they could personally experience Jesus in the Eucharist.

On the edge of the room, Kelli, a parishioner at St. Augustine Church in Covington, was waiting in line for the sacrament of reconciliation.

“I kept thinking ‘no, no. You can’t come to me when I haven’t gone to confession yet,’” Kelli said. “But as Father (Peek) brought the monstrance around and blessed me, I just got this amazing peace. You always hear that Jesus loves you even though you have sins, but it just became so real to me that night. It’s like I finally really understood that for the first time.”

For many teens who attended Sonfest, it was more than just a time to spend with their friends at the beach.

The retreat is unique in that each youth group attending is responsible for a Sonfest session.

“I really like that because you get to participate,” Kelli said. “You really feel like you’re more a part of the experience.”

The week kicked off as teens and their leaders gathered at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta for the long bus journey to Fort Walton Beach.

Brian Walsh, youth minister at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Smyrna, served as the emcee for the week, entertaining the crowd with corny jokes and his infectious faith.

Nearly 10 priests as well as several archdiocesan seminarians also attended the week and were available for confession during the day.

In the opening Mass, celebrated by Father Dan Rogaczewski, he encouraged the teens to take every opportunity to get closer to God.

“You’ll have a lot of free time this week, but during that free time I really encourage you to explore your relationship with God,” he said.

Sonfest is a mixture of fun and faith. Free time at the beach includes sandcastle contests, volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee tournaments, and is book-ended by the sessions.

Sessions at the 2004 Sonfest retreat, which had the theme “Riding the Wave,” included sessions on peer pressure, role models, sexual temptation, balancing life and faith, the sacraments and proclaiming Christ to others. Most of the sessions concluded with a panel discussion during which time teens could ask the priests various questions pertaining to the session’s topic. Teens led witness talks and skits, and also had time for small group discussion.

Melissa Bennett, a teen from St. Catherine of Siena Church in Kennesaw, said that she was able to get closer to God and to learn more about her Catholic faith.

“(Sonfest) is great because it’s fun. It’s not a boring retreat … You have time for group activities and time to hang out with your friends,” she said. “It’s a good balance.”

Father Peek, during Mass on Tuesday, spoke to the teens about the waves they encounter in their lives.

“Waves are relentless. They are strong. They are constantly reshaping the beach,” he said. “Waves aren’t always perfect. Sometimes there are normal, boring waves. But you know, real surfers only come out when there is the perfect wave out there. It’s like that with our spiritual waves. They aren’t always huge, they aren’t always perfect and they’re not always what you think they’re going to be … and you guys are filling up a tank here that you’re going to be able to draw from when you get home.”

During Wednesday’s morning session called “Balancing the Board,” Kristi Jeffries, youth minister at St. Pius X Church in Conyers, encouraged the teens to make prayer a priority.

“With prayer, you don’t have to have the perfect words,” she said. “God just wants us to bring him into every moment of our lives.”

On Thursday afternoon, a slideshow flashed on the giant screens in the conference center, showing smiling teens in bathing suits, a small video scrapbook of the week’s events. Sonfest was coming to a close. But for many of the teens who attended, it was just the beginning of their journey.

Before they boarded the buses for the long ride home to Atlanta, the teens attended Mass celebrated by Father Joseph Peek, who gave them advice for going on with their lives, post Sonfest.

“We are all bearers of Christ to the world. We have been given a great gift,” he said. “You need to let the reality of this retreat soak in. When you go home, it’s time for our mission. It’s time to love. It’s time to love those who didn’t come on this retreat, and it might cost you. It might hurt. But you’ll receive grace in your soul that will bear fruit later, even if you don’t know when or why.”

Markus Galvan, a rising senior from St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Smyrna, attended the retreat with his younger brother, Francisco. For the Galvan brothers, the retreat was their first experience in English-speaking youth activities.

“I really felt like I was opening up. It was good. Now I know that there are so many opportunities to get involved. I think I was scared to get involved before,” he said. “Not only did I get closer to my peers (this week) but I got closer to God. I filled in an empty space between God and me.”

A bilingual Mexican-American, Markus usually attends Spanish Mass with his family. Sonfest provided his first opportunity to attend an English Mass. The experience provided the teen with great clarity.

“I had never been to an English Mass before, and I got to understand everything in detail,” he said. “I also went to adoration for the first time. I have been on other retreats with adults, but this time it was all people who were my age. I saw that everyone wants to find God. Everyone wants that peace. We all have that want to get closer to God, and I saw that for the first time with people my age.”