Young people come closer to Christ at SEARCH

Editor's note: The SEARCH Retreat ministry has been a long standing tradition of the Archdiocese of Mobile for more than 40 years. SEARCH Retreats are directed by the high school SEARCH Team and is specifically “for teens, by teens” to draw young people closer to Christ and the Catholic faith. 
Below are reflections from two SEARCH directors following the most recent retreat Nov. 12-14 at Holy Spirit Hall in Fairhope. The next SEARCH retreat is Jan. 7-9 at Children's Harbor on Lake Martin. For more information, visit mobarch.org/searchretreat


Angeles Gonzalez-Ansaldi 
SEARCH Retreat Co-Director
It’s hard to put into words how much SEARCH means to me. I walked into my first retreat as a freshman, not knowing that I would leave as a senior with a lifetime full of memories. These retreats are special, and unlike anything you will ever experience or have experienced before. I attended my sixth SEARCH last weekend, and throughout my time as a team member, it has given me the chance to grow in my Catholic faith, to learn how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and to keep pursuing God, even amidst the superficiality of our world. Helping and leading people to find Jesus has always been important to me, and SEARCH has been the perfect opportunity to do that. God works in the hearts of the retreatants in a very unique and life changing way on a SEARCH weekend, and I feel truly blessed to play a small part in it. 

Daniel Burque
SEARCH Retreat Co-Director
SEARCH has so much value in today’s time. Where our world is focused on the secular, SEARCH provides an escape to retreat and escape into God’s loving hands. I’ve just been to my 6th SEARCH, and every single time, I get something out of it. Whether it be what we call a “Jesus high” or a more profound meaning of Catholicism, SEARCH has given me that opportunity, which, ultimately, is what led me to continue being a part of the ministry even up to this point. Through this, I get to see God work in other people’s lives in a way that cannot be explained in words alone. To see this you’d have to “participate, not anticipate.” In this powerful, overwhelming, and personal exploration of God in other teens’ lives, we get to take a look deeper into our own lives and ponder the question, “What are we SEARCHing for?”