Franciscan Sister Serves at Nebraska Busy Student Retreat

Franciscan Sister Rochellle Kerkhof shares on recent Kearney, Nebraska Busy Student Retreat.

Nearly 70 College-age and Graduate School women and men participated in University of Nebraska at Kearney Busy Persons’ Retreat held at the Newman Center. Eight diocesan Priests, from all three of the Nebraskan dioceses, and four Religious Sisters, coming from various locations, met six or more individual students daily for an hour.

Being a Busy Person’s Retreat, Directors were available to each student according to that individual’s varied schedule. Each day was different.

The Newman Center Director, Fr. Neal Hock, prepared an extremely inclusive double-sided eight-page booklet for students and directors that served as a springboard for their discussions.

The Blessed Sacrament was available 24 hrs./day; Mass and Confessions were offered twice daily. Students were very conscientious in attending these spiritual opportunities. God’s graces were abundant during this short period of time, thanks to all who were praying for retreatants and Directors.

Sister Rochelle Kerkhof reflects upon this experience: “The structure and universal sincerity of all who participated in this experience was very effective and transformative. I can only speak for myself. My heart was touched by the openness and the trust placed in me by the women whom I ministered to. My spiritual life was deepened by sharing with other Religious Sisters during the Retreat as each shared techniques and challenges of their direction times.

“I know that God used me and my personal historical experiences to open a pathway for each woman:

*to a deeper understanding of bothersome issues in her life,

*to finding a personal pathway of prayer to God through real-life examples,

*to a renewal of peace and inner strength by encouraging ‘resting in God’ for quiet time,

*to feeling affirmation and appreciation from me as she struggles with obstacles in her life.”