Lenten Youth Retreat 2025

By 1J Evelyn Johnson

During my Easter holiday, I joined the youth retreat activity at St. Jude’s Mass Church in Kam Tin, organised by the Religious Education Committee.

I was greeted by an old-looking but charming church hidden in a small village in Kam Tin. The church turned out to be a wonderful location for a retreat as it was very quiet and peaceful, away from all the noise from the city. It was made even more beautiful by the sounds of birds tweeting and the blowing wind. The church wasn’t particularly big or grand, just a small church with a long history.

My classmates and I sat down. There were 10 of us, and we each had to introduce ourselves to begin.

Then we watched some clips from The Passion of Christ about the death of Jesus and all the pain He went through. Up to today, the scene which touched me was when He was crucified on the cross. There was blood everywhere and lots of pain, even more so as He took each breath. The movie also focused on His resurrection on the third day after His death.

After watching the movie and discussing it, it felt like my eyes were opened. I did not really understand before that day. The activity truly deepened my understanding of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I guess this was the first chance I really had to process the information.

The activity also gave me the opportunity to forget all the stress of life. It was a time to take a break, reflect on life, and think of questions I would never have time to think about. It was a time to calm down, think, and pray.

I am so very grateful for being able to join this activity, and I would definitely recommend it to all of you.