Authentic Catholic retreat targets young adults

Young Catholics preparing to leave high school for university or the work force will gather from Oct. 16 to 18 at Orangeville's Valley of the Mother of God Retreat Centre as part of “Dead Man Walking,” a unique retreat that looks to offer hope, authentic community and a clear call to mission for those approaching the next phase of their professional lives. 

The three-day event comes from the team at Jesus Youth Ontario, who designed the weekend after noticing that many young people lose the built-in supports of home and high school at times they critically need them, often as they step into new, adult environments. Without companions who share their faith, forming lasting friendships becomes harder, and questions about identity, dating, marriage, service and even how one can remain authentically Catholic often go unanswered.

“Young adults who are in high school have certain guardrails around them in the sense that their interactions are pretty much with people in their own age group. Suddenly, there is a transition where those guardrails are lifted; They're in workplaces, with older peers in universities, and no longer at home,” said Jim Isaac, a member of   the program planning team.  

Advertisement

“When that happens all of a sudden, that transition into adult life can be incredibly challenging.” 

Dead Man Walking aims to create a designated space for prayer, honest conversation and peer support at exactly that moment of transition. It deliberately follows the Lazarus story, as the name suggests. 

“I will admit, it was a bit of a struggle to get that name approved by all the organizers, but we wanted to reach out to people whose attention we are fighting for from Netflix, Discord or a streaming platform. In order to do that, we have to speak a language they can largely understand,” Isaac said of the distinctive name. 

“We thought, ‘Are we too late to reach out to these young people?’ But the scripture verses that inspired us were John's narration of Jesus raising Lazarus out of the tomb."

Advertisement

The Friday focuses on the sense of being “dead for four days,” with Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Robert Kasun celebrating opening Mass and proclaiming that it is indeed not too late; Saturday centres on Jesus’ call to “come out”; and Sunday turns to the community’s task of unbinding and untying, a call to mission in attendees' personal lives.

Key speakers will include Catholic author Jason Evert, international missionary George Devassy and local young adults sharing their own journeys. As of late September, upwards of 40 participants are expected to attend, with organizers hoping they will carry the flame of faith ignited at this year's inaugural retreat back into their parishes, universities and workplaces.

“ When we looked at that age group of 16 to 20 years old, the questions which came out were overwhelmingly things like dating, marriage and what it means to serve in a community. It was then on us to build a program for that audience. Evert, Devassy and others will be able to show how their faith has helped them transition and navigate through multiple phases of life,” Isaac said. 

In addition to keynote speakers, Steadfast Worship, the notable Catholic praise and worship music group from Toronto, will be present for the opening and evening concerts, with various other classic retreat activities to be offered over the three days. 

Whether through song, worship, physical activity or even mere fellowship with one another, Isaac and the Jesus Youth Ontario team's deepest hope is that participants leave not only strengthened in their own faith but ready to live it outwardly. Drawing on the movement’s conviction that every baptized Catholic is called to be a missionary, and inspired by their patron St. Francis of Assisi, organizers want each attendee to see their transitional period into adulthood not as something to fear, but rather another opportunity to become living signs of Christ for others who may feel just as lost or alone.

Advertisement

“As Scripture tells us, knowing God is loving Him, and loving Him more means knowing Him more. To come together, share that faith as one and then help them lead an encounter with Christ in a deeper sense for others is really what we are looking forward to,” Isaac said. 

Visit https://dmw.jesusyouth.ca/. 

A version of this article appeared in the October 04, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Authentic Catholic retreat targets young adults".