If you wish to contact any of the team please feel free to do so by emailing us at spiritusco@sbcglobal.net

GRAND TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUTH ON SPIRITUS RETREATS: 5,404

as of May 23, 2010

May 23, 2010

Well we made it! What a ride it has been. We apologize for the lack of blogging but the Spirit has been working through us extra hard on retreats so some things fell through the cracks. Thank you all for your support whether it be financial, prayers, or even if you thought we were just a really awesome bunch of people (Sr. Janada!) It has been a wonderful year! Please continue to pray for us as we leave Mount Tabor in search of God's will in our life. But most importantly pray for all those youth we met this year and those we will meet on our future journeys. God bless Peace & Joy!

~Posted by SPIRITUS Team #1

March 31, 2010

Hello all! It’s so great to know that you’re following what we’re up to on here. You can see on the top of the page that we’ve already inspired 4,543 students! And there’s been a couple hundred more since then. This week alone we’ve met students from Black Creek, Burlington, Fond Du Lac, and more. That makes me tired just thinking about it! But it’s so awesome to think of the lives that we’ve been able to impact, simply by sharing God’s love with them.

I’m sure most of us have experienced a time when we’ve felt incredibly close to God after some sort of retreat experience, a “spiritual high,” as some call it. The apostles must have experienced this after seeing Jesus transfigured before them on the mountain. But there always comes a time when we must come down from that mountain, and so often we go back to our normal lives, often putting God back into the background. Many of our retreatants also go through this experience after leaving us. Please keep these retreatants in your prayers, so that God may put someone in their life to help them maintain that relationship with Him and keep him as an important part of their daily lives. What more beautiful way is there than prayer to help students experience and grow to love our Lord?

posted by KAYLN

March 22, 2010

Hey everybody! We at SPIRITUS have been super busy and have been neglecting all of our Internet followers. We are sorry about that. But to make up for it we have a lot of entries from a lot of team members today. We are praying for all of you!!

This past week in Spiritus has been exciting with all of the retreats and Faith on Fires we have put on. I am really excited by the energy the retreatants have especially with Notre Dame Academy. One of my favorite memories from the Notre Dame retreat was how a small group really appreciated me being their small group leader. They taught me how to play the Ninja game and I just really felt honored.

posted by JENNILEE

Ah March, in like a lion and out like a lamb! Jesus has really been changing hearts this year and what an experience it has been to witness His work but to also be a vessel of His love to others. It’s always an experience to see the youth come into a retreat dragging their feet through the door but leaving the retreat rejoicing because they encountered the LOVE that Christ has for them. This past weekend I had an experience a total different retreat experience. Katherine Erin and I put on a Theology of the Body retreat for 9th thru 11th grade girls. From the beginning it was pretty evident that they didn’t want to be there at all, and the retreat that we had scheduled for them wasn’t exactly what we thought that they needed. We totally surrendered this retreat at His feet and the Holy Spirit blew us away. We ended up helping these girls come to know Christ in a more intimate way; which is exactly what they needed. I was knocked off my feet with the way that the Holy Spirit worked in their hearts. They enjoyed their time on retreat and had a chance to encounter Christ. So just like the month of March this year, these retreatants came in like a lion- angry and upset that they had to be there, but out like a lamb-rejoicing in their Savior. Jesus tells us that even when He’s missing one of His sheep He will run after him to hold him in His arms and that’s exactly what Christ did on this retreat and what He has been doing this year!

May the Lord continue to hold you in His arms as well; you are all in my prayers!

posted by JENNY

Hello Readers,

It’s hard to believe that the Lenten season is nearly over. I was blessed with an opportunity to begin this season with a personal retreat. When we walk into Lent, it is so common to hear everyone record a grocery list of “sacrifices.” This retreat helped me to realize that these “sacrifices” we make are meant to change us in some way. We want to make these offerings more permanent in our lives as we strive for holiness. Throughout my retreat God really spoke to me. His biggest question was…”Erin do you really trust me?” Of course I’d like to think that I trust the Lord whole heartedly, but I began to realize that I have failed to abandon everything to Him. I divide my existence into sectors, sectors I feel comfortable surrendering to God with confidence and sectors that I feel I must manage on my own. It is only through complete reliance on God that I can ever hope to be sanctified. This retreat further increased my desire to lose my life for His sake, and ultimately, to become a saint. These little “sacrifices” we make throughout Lent may very well pale in comparison to our Lord’s, but it is in the small steps that we take big leaps of faith. We must continue to move forward on the path of spiritual growth…never become satisfied with mediocre, because we are made for a higher love!

May God bless each of you as you journey through the desert!

posted by ERIN

Hey everyone! Nick here from the SPIRITUS Team. March has been a crazy month here with retreats, (seems like we have one everyday). Through the busyness of the retreats, it’s been very rewarding to see all of the young people open up to the witnesses/sessions, the team shares with them. Something I’ve notice on the retreats with the 6th-8th graders, is that I have a hard time connecting with them at times. I really try to put myself back in my shoes of a middle school student and meet them at there level. Strangely, that connection comes easier than expected. They totally open up to some of the stories I share with them about my struggles with grades, sports, and low self-esteem. They greatly appreciate all the advice. It’s so amazing to see the Holy Spirit work in me through them. I hope everyone is having a blessed Lent thus far!

posted by NICK

The Spiritus Team is staying busy with retreats. It is really cool to see how this ministry is really changing the students. One student that I had on retreat was really closed off to the whole idea of the retreat. She just wanted to go home. I told her to be open to what God has in store for her on the retreat. So she said she would try. The retreat went on and I could see her change in mood and she was having more fun and participating in the retreat more. By the end of the retreat she come up to me and said how much she learned and it was a lot more fun then she first thought.

Posted by MELISSA

February 15, 2010

Greetings from the SPIRITUS TEAM! As we approach this Lenten season, I begin to think about what I need to do, to prepare myself and the retreatents. Where I really draw my spiritual energy from in our retreats is from the small group discussions. Most recently, during one of my small groups that really struggled to open up I came to a revelation. I was digging deep to really find some kind of common interest, it wasn’t till the middle of the retreat, during Lunch when I finally found my “rose garden”, meaning a common interest with the students. From there, conversations started to click and it became so much easier for me to relate to my small groups and all of our retreatents now. So this Lenten season, I’m really challenging myself to step up and find those “rose gardens”. Who knows how many lives we can inspire if we all just reach out to a few people in our lives.

God bless you all!

posted by NICK

February 2, 2010

It’s been a busy week here at Mt. Tabor! Two of our team members traveled to Benedictine College in
Atchison, Kansas to recruit young adults to be on the SPIRITUS Team next year. God blessed them with a safe trip, and they talked to plenty of anxious young adults looking to serve the Lord. Meanwhile, the rest of us kept busy serving our youth all over the state. Wednesday night Mark, Katherine (the assistant director of Mt. Tabor) and I had the opportunity to travel to Beaver Dam to give a brand new session called “Love, Sex, and Dating,” which touches on the subjects of….can you guess? Love, Sex, and Dating! We discussed how much the media impacts their views on these topics, and then moved on to what real love is, the love that God blesses us with. As we talked to the students, we could see the gears in their head working, taking in what we were saying. They were very open with us, and even wished they had longer to talk about it! It was clear we had made an impact on them.
On Thursday we had our monthly formation day. On these days we focus on building our own faith and growing as a team. We had the opportunity to spend the morning with Father Luke Strand, who led us in some great prayer and discussion on community and holiness. It’s such a blessing that we not only have the opportunity to serve the youth of Wisconsin, but also to grow incredibly in our own faith through each other and days like this!
God Bless!
Posted by KAYLN

Week of January 25, 2010

Greetings!
I just wanted to share with you a moment on retreat when I was used by God.
We were giving a confirmation retreat, and this was the first time I was not in a small group. At lunch time, I decided to sit with a group of girls. I asked the girls what their favorite activity was; most of them mentioned sports or other activities but one girl said she doesn't have an activity. I asked her "why?" and right there at the lunch table she poured her heart out to me.
From there, God really gave me many opportunities to connect with her while on retreat. After closing prayer, in the chapel, the young woman came up to me and gave me a HUGE HUG! I was so filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit because I knew that He was working on her heart. It is in these moments I know why God has called me to this ministry. He knows exactly how His message needs to be delivered to each person. It reminds me of the Apostle Paul, becoming "All things to all men" and in that moment I was the one that God used to deliver His message. I shared my experience of how the Lord reached out to me, because she could related to my story.
This is just one of the many lives changed by the Lord on our retreats. Please continue to pray for our retreatants; they sincerely need your prayers also please pray for us. God is answering them. "So, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1Thes. 4:16-18)

posted by JENNY

Week of January 18, 2010

There has been so many great blessings that the team and I have been experiencing throughout these past couple of weeks. One of my favorite experiences has been able to spend time with the youth especially playing apples to apples. It was fun to just be able to get to know about what the teens thought about life. It was also a very eye opening retreat for the teens to feel comfortable talking about Christ in their life. The feedback from the teens was so positive and I just know that it is only by being present that there could be such positive transformations. I have no clue what the teens are like before they come, but afterwards you just hear about how positive they are and caring towards one another. It really gives hope to see how God blesses this ministry.
Thanks for your support and prayers!
God Bless.
posted by JENNILEE

Wednesday January 17, 2010

When we came back form our Christmas break the team had some time to hang out and to prepare for the New Year ahead of us. We had our first Confirmation retreat of the New Year on January 3. Our first Faith on Fire for 2010 was at my home parish of Saint John the Baptist in Waunakee. The Waunakee Parish was the first SPIRITUS retreat done in the Madison Diocese! SPIRITUS put on two retreats simultaneously. One was for 9th-10th graders and the other for 7th -8th graders. I help put on the 7th-8th grade Faith on Fire because my cousin is in the 7th grade class. It was really exhilarating for me to put on a retreat in the very same gym that I had sat in when I was first learning about my Catholic faith. I started the retreat off by introducing the SPIRITUS Team to the students. When I told the students that I was from Waunakee Wisconsin they all cheered! It was really cool for me to hear them cheer and it started the night off with a lot of energy. Both Faith on Fires went very well and the kids really got involved in discussions and singing. After the 7th-8th grade retreat a teacher come up to me and said, “It’s really good for my students to see young people sharing their Catholic faith and it’s even better from a person who grow up in Waunakee!” Since it was late and we still had a two hour drive back up to Menasha, we were able to spend the night with three Waunakee host families. It was the first time that SPIRITUS got to stay with host families and we enjoyed the opportunity very much. Our stay at Waunakee concluded with 8:00am Mass at St John the Baptist and breakfast at my parent’s house. We have a few busy and exciting weeks ahead of us and SPIRITUS can not wait to share our faith with some more young people of Wisconsin.

Posted By MELISSA

Tuesday January 12, 2010
A belated Merry Christmas and a very happy new decade to you all! We have been back from our Christmas break for just over a week now and boy does time fly. I believe we all had a well deserved break and we all had some great catch up time with family. Most importantly we had a chance to relax and reflect upon the joy of the Christmas season!

Our first full day back was our first retreat of the New Year. It was kind of short one and it went pretty well. Nothing spectacular stood out to me during the retreat. I loved the kids of course but I didn’t think we had any life changing moments on the retreat.

Well a few days later we got a letter from a girl on the retreat who happened to have been in my small group. I won’t go into the details but she essentially thanked the SPIRITUS Team for changing her life. I was flabbergasted! I couldn’t believe how much an impact such a simple retreat could have had on one life. It completely reminded me why I do what I do and that the Lord is more powerful and merciful than I can ever truly comprehend. I guess you would definitely call that a “God moment.”

Thank you all for you continued prayers as we begin anew this second half of the year! May God’s blessings be with you this Ordinary Time!

posted by TOMMY

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Hello Readers & Supporters,
Our Lord is near and I feel like there are so many things to get done before His arrival! It is difficult to believe how swiftly this Advent season is moving, but here on SPIRITUS, we’ve been busy preparing the way.

Our work week began with a Celebration in our honor. Our invited guests and supporters came from miles around to meet each member of the team and get a taste of the ministry we provide. We heard great feedback from each visitor, all of them pleased with our progress and also impressed. I was most touched by the statement I heard one man say, “I am so proud that I believed in this ministry, especially because of where it is today.”

Our work week looked busy, but due to a pesky wintry weather mess, retreats were in need of rescheduling. I must admit, I enjoy waking up to a hearty snowfall on Christmas morning, but I was by no means prepared to embrace the winter wonderland that greeted me Wednesday morning. The team however, didn’t skip a beat and spent the morning shoveling, sledding, and sipping hot cocoa. We finished our week with a confirmation retreat at Nativity parish in Ashwaubenon with fifty youth!
I wish you all a wonderful week, filled with many blessings! Stay close to Jesus!
In His Heart,

posted by Erin

Sunday December 6, 2009 (The Feast of St. Nicholas!!)

Seasons Greetings everyone! I hope this Advent is finding everyone well thus far. This is my first post on the blog, so a brief intro before I get started.

I’m Nick Coombs, from Springfield, Missouri. I graduated from Missouri State University in 2006 with a degree in Culinary Arts. I’m really enjoying my time with SPIRITUS! The Ministry is absolutely beautiful, and I couldn’t ask for better spiritual family here at the Mt. Tabor Center. On our SPIRITUS Retreats, one of my many jobs is to get things started with ice-breaker activities. I basically get to help everyone get pumped up to be on our retreats. Also on some retreats I share with the youth some of the challenges that I have faced in my struggles with faith and how God has helped me overcome them.

These past few months have been jammed packed with retreats and I just wanted to share with you all a "God Moment" that really stood out to me from this past week. We had a Confirmation Retreat from Mt. Calvary this past weekend. It seemed like these young students were having a hard time keeping Christ at the center of their busy lives. Usually I’m good at connecting with one or two retreatants. With this group I connected with all of them in one way or another. They were so open to all the activities and witnesses being given. I’ve never really been hit emotionally and spiritually like that while giving a retreat. At one point on the retreat, I had to run to our Chapel and shed a few tears with Jesus. I completely surrendered to Him and thanked Him for such an amazing retreat.

Thank you all for your support and prayers for the SPIRITUS Team. May God continue to shine His grace on us all!

Peace

posted by NICK

Monday November 16th 2009

Hey folks!
My fellow SPIRITUS teammates and myself find ourselves at the end of one of our busiest weeks yet!! This past Wednesday we had two Faith On Fires, one in Green Bay and the other in Ripon. Then on Friday we got to hang out with the 8th Graders from St. John Neumann in Oshkosh. The Holy Spirit was really present and moving in us as well as in those we have been called to minister to. Our NET brothers and sisters call those highlight moments from retreats, “Glory Stories.” I think I will call our SPIRITUS stories serious “God Moments.” There are several of those God Moments that my brothers and sisters will share with you the home viewer from this weekend in the very near future. On Saturday half of the team drove the Van (aka JIMMY) down to Menominee Falls for a Freshman Retreat at St. Mary’s. The other half of the team stayed home at the Mount Tabor Center for an Overnight Confirmation Retreat with St. Mary of the Angels from Green Bay. A lot of St. Mary’s out there eh? Then on Sunday when that overnight retreat ended, the whole team ventured north to our home away from the Center to Camp Tekawitha. Some of you may have heard that Camp Tek is now open to the Mount Tabor Center and SPIRITUS to use as a second facility during the winter. It’s pretty exciting. Anyways we had the Lourdes High School in Oshkosh Senior retreat. This was also an overnight and was also a very Holy Spirit filled retreat.

As I mentioned there are a lot of God moments from all these retreats. We can’t share all of them but I thought I would share with you my personal one from the 8th Grade retreat on Friday.
My personal God Moment on that retreat came at the very end. I was feeling kind of frustrated with myself and I was getting tired. We were in the closing prayer and we were singing “I Can Only Imagine.” All of the 8th graders had received candles that were currently burning brightly on the altar. It was a very beautiful environment. I was standing next to one of the young men from my small group and I could hear him singing along right next to me. Now it wasn’t the quality of his voice that touched my heart, it was the fact that he WAS SINGING!! He was singing loud enough for me and others to hear as opposed to simply moving his lips or just not participating at all. It was awesome!
Well little did I know how awesome. After the closing prayer I was walking out of the chapel with this same young man and unprovoked he said to me, “Wow I could really feel God during that song.” I could just see in his eyes that he had really just been touched by the Lord for probably the first time in his young life. This young man even went on to say, “I almost don’t want the retreat to end.”
That was enough for me. I was instantly filled with gratitude for the Lord. All my frustrations evaporated instantly! I told the retreatant that it won’t always be a feeling and he would have to work on staying close to the Lord. But I assured him I would be praying for him. After the retreatants left, I returned to the Chapel just overcome completely by joy at the fact that this young man experienced Jesus Christ in a very real and very powerful way! Here I had been feeling frustrated and yet the Lord chooses to work through me and my brothers and sisters on SPIRITUS. I am such an unworthy instrument but even when I may not be open to the Holy Spirit, He still can work through me. It was amazing. I may or may not have shed a tear of joy or two.

I find myself completely in awe of how the Holy Spirit kept us all energized and excited to be on each of these retreats. My heart is filled with longing for all those young people that walk through our doors, or in some cases whose doors we walk through, can come to know the love and the Joy of the Risen Lord Jesus that I have been so graced to discover. This weekend only proved to me that I am fulfilling God’s will for me this year and no matter how hard I may try not to let Him, the Lord will find ways to work through me and the rest of the team.

To all those retreatants we have met already, thank you for your openness, we continue to pray for you all. To all those retreatants we have not yet met, get ready, because the SPIRIT truly WISHES TO STIR UP THE FLAME OF A NEW PENTECOST in your life!
Thanks to everybody for your continued prayers and support. None of this would be possible with out you either! And I promise some God Moment stories are coming soon from other teammates!

GOD IS GOOD! ALL THE TIME!!!
ALL THE TIME! GOD IS GOOD!!!

posted by TOMMY

Wednesday October 21, 2009

It has almost been exactly two months since the nine of us first arrived at the Mount Tabor Center to begin this new adventure with each other and for Christ. I can still remember our first meal together when we really didn't know each other and most if not all of us were still feeling a little anxious about this whole SPIRITUS thing. At times it feels as if it was just yesterday. And at other times I feel as if we have been together as a team and as a family for years!

It is amazing to see the Holy Spirit working in our lives and in the lives of the young people the Lord is asking us to serve. I have seen my own teammates grow immensely in their ability to witness their faith. I have also felt myself growing, being able to think more on my feet, being able to read where the retreatants are at and adjust a session appropriately.

Eden and Mark tell me that in the first month that we started doing retreats, we ministered to just over 1000 young people! I find that quite simply AMAZING! There have been a few occasions where we had retreats scheduled back to back to back over a weekend and I would just get anxious thinking about how much work that would entail. But then I took a step back, said a prayer to the Holy Spirit, and suddenly I found myself not worried about the retreats. The Lord filled me with a peace and the knowledge that we would be able to get through the retreats. You know what happened? The retreats went great! They were some of the best retreats we had experienced. So it was just really encouraging to know that even when I am feeling down or unable to get through a challenge the Lord is presenting me, that He will get me through it. I am never alone. I have my teammates to fall back on but most importantly the Lord will be my strength and my refuge.

I would like to personally thank all of you for your continued prayers. Know that myself as well as my teammates are praying for you too! May God's blessings bring you Peace & JOY!

Posted by TOMMY

Sunday October 4, 2009

Hello everybody. Sorry we haven't been updating this that frequently. We have been really busy with retreats and Faith on Fires. We are finally starting to get into a routine and this blog will benefit from a set routine as much as we will. Since all of the SPIRITUS team has been busy we haven't had a chance to introduce the newest member of our team. Jimmy Foord.

Yes this is Jimmy. He is our van that takes us from Menasha to all of the other schools and parishes that want our retreats.

Jimmy got his name because in the beginning of the year, whenever all 9 of us would gather as a team, there would always feel like somebody was missing. So we started calling this mystery person “Jimmy.” Then when we actually got the van, it finally seemed as if our team was complete. So now we call the van Jimmy as he is the last member of our team. We assume there is a Saint in heaven that could be named Jimmy so until that is revealed to us, we call the van Jimmy in honor of St. Jerome, or St. James. The more saints the better really. The last name Foord comes from the fact that Jimmy is a Ford van and in honor of our Directors Eden and Katherine Foord.

So since we are all really busy, I thought I would let Jimmy fill you in on what has been going on. Enjoy and God bless!!!

posted by TOMMY

Well hello gang! I am Jimmy Foord the final member of the SPIRITUS Team. I have the honor of transporting the team around this great state of Wisconsin. The team has been up to a great many things, all in the service of the Lord. Why just last week we had 6 programs in 4 days. That includes 2 Faith on Fires on the road and 2 overnight retreats at the Mount Tabor Center. We even had a chance to visit the CARmelite Convent in Iron Mountain.

I don't get to sit in on many retreats (I wouldn't fit on any of the couches) but when retreatants walk out to the parking lot, I get to overhear their comments. The general theme seems to be that the SPIRITUS Team is doing a great job!! There has been so much growth in all of them I could not be more proud even I were a Porsche.

So on behalf of the team, thank you for your continued prayers and support. Look here for more stories of our adventures as we continue to eVANgelize the state of Wisconsin.

God Bless Vrrrrooom Vrrooom

posted by JIMMY

Tuesday September 22, 2009

Just a quick update today, we will start posting more frequently soon. As some of you may have noticed there is no comments section on this blog. If you would like to respond to anything on the blog or would simply like to send a kind word to any member of the SPIRITUS team, please feel free to do so my emailing us at spiritusteam@sbcglobal.net. This is a common email for all 9 of the team members that will be checked regularly. We look forward to hearing from you!!

God bless, Peace & joy

posted by TOMMY

WELCOME TO THE SPIRITUS BLOG!!!

Tuesday September 15, 2009

After much anticipation and fanfare, I would like to personally welcome all of our Friends, Families, and fans in Cyberspace to the SPIRITUS blog. All of our team members will have the ability to post little snippets of their life on the team in this space.

So allow me to introduce you to my brothers and sisters on the first SPIRITUS Team.

First there is our Team Coordinator Mark Lyons. Mark is from the Milwaukee area and has recently completed his studies to earn a Masters of Divinity.

Erin Schuessler is from Green Bay and recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a degree in Athletic Training.

Jenny Kampa is from Minnesota and graduated from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Catechetics and Theology.

Melissa Helt is from the Madison area and graduated from UW Oshkosh with a degree in Photography.

Jennilee Foreman is from Rochelle, Illinois and was in the inagural class at the Southern Catholic College in Georgia where she recieved her degree in Sacred Theology.

Kayln Van Roy is from the Appleton Area and has attended UW Fox Valley for 2 years and is planning on continuing her education at Silver Lake College when SPIRITUS is finished. She looks forward to studying Theology.

Nick Coombs is from Springfield, Missouri and cooked his way to a degree in Culinary Arts.

Mark Foley is originally from Ireland and moved to Wisconsin with his family when he was 9 years old.

And last but certainly not least is yours truly, Tommy Nelson. I am from Rockford, Illinois and I studied Theology at Marquette University, dabbled in Parish Youth Ministry in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, then worked for Public Safety at Marquette, and now I find myself as the innagural blogger for SPIRITUS.

You will have the opportunity to read the many different perspectives we all bring to the team on the blog, but I was "blessed" enough to get to write the first entry. We look forward to sharing what should truly be some great adventures with you. You are all in our prayers and we thank you for your continued prayers and support.

God Bless. Our Lady of Sorrow, PRAY FOR US!!!

posted by TOMMY