By Reagan Scott
for the Register
While Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House in Waverly serves the needs of adult retreatants, what many might not realize is that the retreat center can, and does, meet the spiritual needs of school students, as well.
Sarina Stokes, outreach and ministry coordinator for the retreat house, said that while the retreat center has always been welcoming and open to hosting student retreats, there has been a more concerted effort made over the past year to extend invitations for diocesan parishes and schools to bring their students out to spend time with the Lord.
The new slogan for the retreat center’s youth planning effort comes from Matthew 19:14, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them.”
Stokes said Our Lady of Good Counsel is working to reach the younger generation and help them to encounter Jesus by providing a space where students can depart from the distractions and busyness of their daily lives.
“There is a tangibility of the peace of the Holy Spirit that a child’s heart is able to be receptive to here that they’re just not able to enter into elsewhere,” Stokes said.
Lincoln schools that have held, or are planning to hold, retreats for their students include Pius X High School, St. Peter, St. John, Cathedral of the Risen Christ, Blessed Sacrament and St. Patrick.
Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, Aquinas High School in David City and St. Michael Elementary School in Hastings have also used, or are planning to use, Our Lady of Good Counsel for their retreat needs.
The retreat center isn’t only for use by schools and parishes in the diocese, however. This summer, St. Lawrence Church in Millbank, S.D., will hold a high school retreat of their own in Waverly.
Because Our Lady of Good Counsel works with so many different schools and parishes, all with different needs, the retreat house is able to work with each organization to meet its retreat goals, whatever they may be.
Schools and parishes have the option to do all of their own planning and simply use the space, or work with the retreat house to create a structure for the day. Groups can also opt to have Our Lady of Good Counsel plan and host a retreat in its entirety.
In her role, Stokes is able to help schools plan their retreats, give talks and lead adoration reflections.
Father Gary Coulter, the director for Our Lady of Good Counsel, is available to offer the sacraments and provide for other liturgical needs that a group may have.
The retreat house has a dining room, a lower level that can hold 150 students, and ample spaces to host multiple talks or breakout sessions at the same time, and retreatants are welcome to explore the grounds.
As Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House works to make an impact on students within the diocese and beyond, Stokes is optimistic about the growing impact of the work that’s being done to advance this effort.
“The schools that have come out and had a positive experience, and shared that, have really fostered this domino effect of other schools reaching out to us to have their retreats,” she said.
Interested schools and other groups can reach out to Stokes by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
