12 high school-aged men attend Quo Vadis retreat
QUO VADIS DISCERNMENT RETREAT—Eight parishes sent 12 high school-aged young men to join diocesan seminarians, Bishop Edward M. Rice, Fr. Joseph Stoverink, diocesan Director of Vocations & Seminarians, and area clergy for the Quo Vadis Discernment Retreat (“Where are you going?”) held June 3-6, in Fredericktown. The days allowed for fellowship, prayer, the sacraments, presentations on the vocation of the priesthood, and athletics on the grounds of the diocesan-owned Camp St. Carlo
(Photo by Brock Hulshof/The Mirror)
Fredericktown, MO
Diocesan seminarians, area clergy, and Bishop Rice recently welcomed 12 high school men from across the diocese at the firstever Quo Vadis Discernment Retreat. The name of the retreat was inspired: “Quo Vadis” is Latin for “Where are you going?” This comes from the tradition when Peter was leaving Rome because of persecution, and he saw our Lord walking toward Rome. He stopped and posed the question “Quo Vadis, Domine?” Jesus replied that he “was going to Rome to be crucified again,” so Peter also returned to Rome, where he was arrested and martyred. Quo Vadis is a discernment retreat that many dioceses across the United States facilitate for high school-aged men, asking them the same question. The retreat is special in the sense that it is entirely led by seminarians with talks given by priests, deacons, seminarians, and in this case, a bishop.
here in southern Missouri.
“From there, I pitched the idea to Bishop Rice about potentially starting this in the summer of 2026. The bishop was all for it, and after a few months of deliberation and prayer, the idea was approved, and the planning could move forward,” Koehler said.
“My hope is that we tap into an untapped resource,” said Bishop Rice. “The fields are ripe in southern Missouri, and having 12 young men come forward to discern [how they might serve the Church] is proof that God still calls young men to the priesthood.”
From the beginning, the goal was to get 12 young men to sign up and attend the diocese’s inaugural event at Camp St. Carlo, in Fredericktown, held June 3-6. Fathers of those interested could also attend.
“In August 2025, I pitched the idea to Bishop Rice of starting a retreat for high school men in our diocese,” said Jared Koehler, a diocesan seminarian and an organizer of the vocational discernment event. “When reflecting on the beginning of the process, I simply thought that we could be doing more to promote and support vocations in our diocese.”
EMMAUS WALK Jared Koehler (seminarian) and Jack Rone (retreatant) share one-on-one conversations during Emmaus Walks which gave retreatants a chance to ask questions at the Quo Vadis Discernment Retreat June 3-6, at Camp St. Carlo, in Fredericktown.
(Photo by Brock Hulshof/The Mirror)
Homegrown opportunity
Koehler indicated that there was a gap that was being filled in by other (arch) dioceses and he thought that this could be the perfect opportunity to capitalize on men who are asking the deeper questions of where God could be calling them, right
“It didn’t look like we would get [12] at first, but the Lord answered our prayers and gave us 12 incredible young men to attend the first annual Quo Vadis Discernment Retreat,” Koehler said.
Not only was this retreat for the seminarians to pour into the high school retreatants but it also allowed the seminarians to come together and have another week of fraternity during the summer.
“It was so beautiful to see all of our seminarians come and work together to further vocations in the diocese,” Bishop Rice said.
That highlights a unique experience of the retreat: from planning, speaking, and leading small groups to leading sports, it is all led by the diocesan seminarians themselves.
“Our goal was to show these men
with retreatants
Springfield - Holy Trinity Parish: 1 retreatant
Carthage - St. Ann Parish: 4 retreatants
Ozark - St. Joseph the Worker Parish: 1 retreatant
Portageville - St. Eustachius Parish: 1 retreatant
Ironton - Ste. Marie Du Lac Parish: 2 retreatants
Mountain View - St. John Vianney Parish: 1 retreatant
Dexter - Sacred Heart Parish: 1 retreatant
Sikeston - St. Francis Xavier Parish: 1 retreatant
RECONCILIATION—Bishop Rice imparts a blessing on a penitent during confession held during the Quo Vadis Discernment Retreat held June 3-6 in Fredericktown (Photo by Brock Hulshof/The Mirror)
Parishes
MISSOURI
One Church, East to West: Loving Jesus, Serving Jesus, Sharing Jesus
Speaker Spotlight
Bishop James Conley
Since his priestly ordination in 1985, Bishop James D. Conley has served the Catholic Church in a wide variety of ways— as pastor, college campus chaplain, diocesan director of Respect Life ministries, theology instructor, Vatican official and bishop. In all of these tasks, he has seen his life as a priest as a call to service and complete surrender to “God’s providential hand.”
Lord’s Table.
Fr. Leo will give a keynote presentation on the foundational theology on what the Eucharist reveals about Our Lord.
Dr. Scott Hahn
For his episcopal motto, Bishop Conley, a convert to the Catholic faith, chose the same motto as the great 19thcentury English convert, John Henry Cardinal Newman, “cor ad cor loquitur,” which means “heart speaks to heart.”
Bishop Conley will lead a keynote focusing on the Eucharist: Jesus Christ, the Source and Summit of our Catholic faith.
Fr. Leo Patalinghug
Fr. Leo Patalinghug is a priest member of a community of consecrated life, Voluntas Dei
(Latin phrase that means ‘The Will of God’). He is the Founder, Host, and Director of Grace Before Meals, an international apostolate to help strengthen families and relationship through God’s gift of a family meal. He has also established a non-profit organization called “The Table Foundation” with the mission to elevate culture and family life, one meal at a time. Along with his priestly duties, Fr. Leo is the host for the TV Show Savoring our Faith on EWTN, Co-Host for the radio show Entertaining Truth on Sirius XM Radio, bestselling author, contributor for newspaper and magazines, and rated as one of the best speakers for the New Evangelization. Using his unique background as a chef, a 3rd degree Black Belt Martial Arts Teacher, and former award winning breakdance choreographer, Fr. Leo’s ministries have brought diverse audiences closer to the
An exceptionally popular speaker and teacher, Dr. Hahn has delivered numerous talks nationally and internationally on a wide variety of topics related to Scripture and the Catholic faith. His talks have been effective in helping thousands of Protestants and fallen away Catholics to embrace the Catholic faith. As the author or editor of over forty popular and academic books, Dr. Hahn’s works include best-selling titles like Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb’s Supper, Hail Holy Queen, and The Fourth Cup.
Dr. Scott Hahn will lead a keynote presentation, illuminating the Church’s rich teachings on the Eucharist and the significance of the Holy Mass.
Mari Pablo
Mari Pablo is a proud Hispanic and cradle Catholic whose life was wrecked in the best possible way, when she finally decided to stop fighting and surrender it all to Him. She holds a Bachelor of Theology and a Bachelor of Psychology degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, as well as a Master of Theology degree from the Augustine Institute. Mari has worked in ministry for over fifteen years, as a youth minister, high school theology teacher and consultant. She is the founder of In His Heart ministries, a bilingual ministry dedicated to bringing hearts closer to His Sacred Heart. Mari is well known for her dynamic presentations at the annual Steubenville Youth Conferences and other national outlets such at the National Eucharistic Congress. She recently filmed instructional videos for the “Becoming
Eucharistic Missionaries,” series produced by the National Eucharistic Revival.
Mari will be leading two breakout sessions – one in Spanish and one in English about what it means to be a Eucharistic missionary today.
Brian Miller
Brian Miller developed his missionary zeal while serving for four years as a FOCUS Missionary to evangelize college students on several campuses throughout the country and through a profound encounter with Christ during St. John Paul II’s visit to St. Louis in 1999. Brian holds a Master’s degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute in Colorado and went on to serve as the Director of Evangelization and Discipleship for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Currently, Brian continues to equip parishes for mission as Director of Apostolic Development for Amazing Parish.
Brian will be leading a breakout session on the practical ways to reach the people in our lives and invite them deeper into relationship with Christ and His Church.
Fr. Elvis Gonzalez
One of the National Eucharistic Revival Preachers, Father Gonzalez was born in Nicaragua, and came to Miami at age 15. He graduated from Miami Coral Park
Senior High School and entered St. John Vianney College Seminary in 2004.
Father Gonzalez completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami on May 11, 2013. He was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Kendall until June 2015, when he was appointed Archdiocesan Vocations Director and Director of Seminarians. He served in this ministry for five years. Currently Father Gonzalez is
serving as Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church and School in Miami.
Fr. Gonzalez will speak on La Eucaristía: Fuente y Fuerza Transformadora de la Vida Familiar (The Eucharist: Source and Transforming Force of Family Life)
Maureen Francois
Maureen Francois is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW) and a licensed psychotherapist with extensive experience treating individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, and maternal mental health. She has also partnered with various Catholic schools and Newman Centers to provide Catholic-integrated therapy for students during every season of their educational journey.
Maureen is the Co-Owner and Founder of Wild Hope counseling therapy practice in Salina, Kansas and Kansas City. Maureen is a wife and mother to five daughters, and her Catholic faith is an integral aspect of both her personal and professional life. Maureen will be leading a breakout session navigating the topic of mental health in the context of our Catholic faith.
The Domestic Church Initiative
Paul & Kay Halfmann have been married 38 years and have seven children and ten grandchildren. They founded D:6 Ministries in 2020 to assist parents in forming their children in faith. From D:6 Ministries we have grown into the Domestic Church Initiative to inspire families to make their homes holy through prayer and the sacraments. Together they have spent several decades in youth and family ministry.
Paul and Kay will offer a breakout session for families with younger children, and another session for families with teenage children.
