Adrienne Javellana attended after graduating from eighth grade. “It is 2009, I am on a bus, and I have never done anything like this before," she recalled. Her first time stepping off the bus was overwhelming. “All of a sudden, I am standing in front of the lake with 200 other high school kids who, to me, are like giants.”  

Michael Lomas, who participated in his first DYR in 2006, experienced a similar mix of awe and uncertainty. He had never been to Tahoe before, and he remembers, “Just being kind of overwhelmed. It was really breathtaking.”  

For both Michael and Adrienne, as well as Ryan and Therese Bao, and Alex Vo, the 5-day summer retreat of their youth still inspires them to return as DYR leaders, helping teens encounter God’s love, as they once did. Today, they guide a new generation as leaders, during the annual retreat that carries an enduring legacy of friendship, transformation, and fun!  

Priests are Human Too!?

Michael admitted that as an 18-year-old youth, his initial retreat began with anxiety. He said, “I was nervous and scared when I went. I was kind of expecting a Bible camp. It turned out to be more of this wonderful experience of faith sharing.”  

At DYR, he experienced faith as relatable to him and his peers, and the priests became more human. “I believe it was Father Steve Brown. He said Mass in cargo shorts, a T-shirt, a stole, and flip-flops. To see the humanity of a priest was really amazing.”  

Michael remembers thinking, “Oh, the priest is just like us. He's also on a faith journey, but in a different capacity. Father Steve interacted and spoke with us as regular people.”

He was also struck by how leaders and adults modeled a living faith, “They would have these breakout dance numbers,” Michael related, laughing. “It was just like: this is so cool! They’re trying to inspire us and entertain us at the same time.” It is something that Michael continues to bring to DYR, now as a leader.

Discernment and Sharing Their Gifts

For married couple Ryan and Therese Bao, DYR was a place of discernment and the discovery of a community that encouraged them to share their gifts.  

Therese attended DYR for the first time in 2017 when she was 16. Like many teens, “I kind of went in thinking it was going to be the same as my parish’s youth retreats.” She said this while shaking her head and smiling, “It was not the same.”  

While at DYR, she was encouraged by those who became her music mentors. She remembered, “We had an impromptu jam session!” In this atmosphere, Therese shared her gifts as she still does today at her parish and as a retreat leader.

Her husband, Ryan, had been attending DYR since 2015, beginning when he was 17. “I remember one of the most profound memories being really just seeing my own teen leaders: their energy and excitement were really reaffirming.” For Ryan, DYR brought a call to deeper discernment of his vocation. Initially, he supposed it was for the priesthood.

“As a young adult, I really learned how to discern through DYR,” he shared. “Each year, I was in a completely different place. I listened to priests sharing their own stories and their own vocational discernment, which inspired me.” Eventually, he discerned his vocation to marriage, and he remains grateful for the space to dialogue deeply with God.

This is part of what keeps DYR relevant, he believes. “It brings you to a place of wonder,” he explained. “Young people are craving this sense of what lies beyond.” Therese echoed this sense of DYR’s specialness. “It’s really about presence. Being in the moment. It carves out space for God and for each other.”

Capturing Moments at DYR

Alex Vo was a neophyte, a teen newly initiated into the Church, when he arrived at his first DYR in 2001. He vividly recalled, “Seeing my new faith community outside the parish was a big moment for me. I was diving into Catholicism and my faith in general for the first time.”  

For him, the retreat changed his life in a more dramatic way than most. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for DYR,” he says. “This retreat has been given back to me tenfold.”

He says this because it was at DYR that Father Brendan McGuire learned of Alex’s love of videography. By coincidence, Father was officiating a wedding months later, where he met the president of Full Sail University in Florida. The president offered Alex an opening at his school’s unique videography course, thereby completely shifting the course of Alex’s life.  

Due to that gift, Alex created the retreat’s daily videos for several years.  In his time as event videographer, he began to experience the broader impact of the Holy Spirit at DYR. “These videos were more than just a recap of the day. They were for their families.”  

Reading comments and messages from parents, he realized: “To be able to almost live the retreat alongside your kids is so powerful.” As a father himself, he hopes to have that experience with his daughter one day.

Sunset Mass and The Moment

If there is one particularly impactful moment that participants and leaders return to, it is the sunset Mass. For Therese, a core memory came when she arrived late to the candlelit gathering by the lake. “I heard all the youth singing, and they had their candles. I just had this profound moment of, ‘The young Church is so alive right now!’ and I was pretty much in tears.”  

Adrienne’s own memory of her first sunset Mass is vivid. “It was just the audacity of nature to be that awesome, surrounded by the mountains and water. To be able to celebrate Mass with all of your new friends, side by side — and to watch the priest consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ with that backdrop — there is something to be said about it.”

Whether it is at sunset Mass or during another activity, there is always a moment of transformation, according to Michael. Michael mused, “Sometimes it happens early, sometimes after reconciliation, but there’s always a moment.”

It is the moment where “they realize how undeniably loved they are by God.” He shared, “Witnessing teens experience that for the first time is just such a joy. It reminds me of the first time I felt that.”

As a leader, Michael feels called to create moments during the retreat where students can encounter Christ. It may be at sunset Mass, or just through conversations, or meal sharing. He reflected on the power of these simple moments. “Being able to sit down and share a meal, that’s one of the most Jesus-like things we can do.”

Beyond the Week

For many, it is the first time they feel truly seen and heard within their spiritual lives, and it is an experience that lasts long after the retreat has ended. For some, like Therese, Ryan, and Alex, the trajectory of their lives completely shifted. Therese affirmed, “Serving youth is what I’m called to do, especially through encouraging them to find their musical gifts.”

For others, the shift is more subtle, and their faith develops over time. Adrienne shared, “I will be the first to admit that the Church and I have not always agreed. But DYR helped me understand that faith is personal and individual. But faith is also community, and it can be fun.”  

30 Years Old

Now in its 30th year, DYR continues to offer teens a unique experience of being affirmed in their worth and identity in the eyes of God.  In a beautiful place for young faith, many spiritual journeys begin in earnest. Adrienne, Michael, Ryan, Therese, and Alex all agree on one overall message: DYR is what participants make of it.

According to Adrienne, “DYR can be transformative if you let it. What you put in is what you get out of it.”  Alex offers a similar invitation: “Stay open to the possibility that this could be life-changing!” What begins with a bus ride into the mountains and the lake becomes something far greater: a chance to encounter God, community, and the quiet unfolding of the plans He has in store for each youth and their leaders.