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Bayou Awakening



 

What Is Awakening?

Bayou Awakening is a retreat for college age young adults (18-25), led by young adults, that focuses on deepening your relationship with Christ. There are several talks, including: "What is a Christian?" "Reconciliation," "Prayer," "Faith," "Discernment," "The Mystical Body of Christ." There are opportunities for small group conversation, quiet prayer time, mass, and confession. Join us for a great weekend of spiritual renewal! The retreat is offered twice a year, in the fall and the spring.

Bayou Awakening #21 will be held on September 13-15, 2013, at Camp Kappe.

Apply online to Attend BA #21  OR  download application.

After you've filled out your application, you will need send your payment of $50 to:
Bayou Awakening # 21
c/o Office of Y.A.C.M.
2403 Holcombe Blvd.
Houston, TX 77021

 

 

Awakening History

The full name of the retreat is "Awakening Your Life to Christ," and it was developed by Fr. Sam Jacobs when he was chaplain at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1974. Jacobs (who later became a bishop), said,

As our staff looked at how to best reach college and college-age young adults, we felt we had to first provide them with a "conversion" experience before a "catechesis" experience. We modeled it after the Cursillo and the Search retreat, which the team was familiar with. We saw it as an evangelization moment.... We wanted them to experience the joy of the Christian life. (Letter)

It has since spread to colleges and universities throughout the Southwest, including Texas A&M University (Aggie Awakening), University of Texas (Longhorn Awakening), Baylor (Bear Awakening) and Texas Tech (Raider Awakening). It's also been sponsored by the Diocese of Austin (LoneStar Awakening).

The first Awakening retreat in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston was Bearkat Awakening #1 in the spring of 2000 at Sam Houston State University. In 2001 two recent college graduates, Lubna Nabi and Guillermo Saade, approached Bill Cork, the Director of Young Adult and Campus Ministry, offering to work with him to establish a diocesan Awakening program. Because Houston's nickname is the "bayou city," the name chosen for the program was Bayou Awakening. Lubna and Guillermo put together a team of staff drawn from the Longhorn, Aggie, and Lonestar programs. The first Bayou Awakening took place shortly after September 11, 2001 -- a time when all were in need of time to get away and pray.