‘Bishop Bruté Days’ will offer young men
fun and spiritual growth

By Sean Gallagher

The Bishop Bruté House of Formation at Marian College in Indianapolis will sponsor “Bishop Bruté Days” on June 14-17 at Bradford Woods Retreat Center near Martinsville.

“Bishop Bruté Days” will be a retreat for young men ages 13-17 who, according to a promotional brochure, “are seeking to grow closer, and who are open to the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood.”

The retreat will involve spiritual events such as daily Mass, eucharistic adoration, opportunities for the sacrament of reconciliation, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and other devotional prayers and spiritual conferences.

Recreational activities such as canoeing, swimming, scavenger hunts and campfires will also be offered.

Father Robert Robeson, the director of the Bishop Bruté House of Formation, will oversee the retreat. He recently discussed who the event is geared toward.

“It’s not necessarily just for kids that know they’re going to be a priest or young men who have any degree of certainty,” Father Robeson said. “At that age, between 13 and 17, you just can’t be certain. But we want to help them to consider the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood.”

The number of retreatants for the retreat is limited to 40. Registration by June 1 is requested, although it may be closed earlier if it reaches its limit.

In addition to Father Robeson, the retreat will be staffed by the resident seminarians of the Bishop Bruté House of Formation. Other archdiocesan priests will also be involved in “Bishop Bruté Days.”

“It’s great for [the seminarians] because it shows them that there are younger kids who are serious about their faith,” Father Robeson said, “who are really trying to grow in their faith and grow in their desire to serve Christ.”

Seminarian Aaron Thomas, who is finishing his second year at the Bishop Bruté House of Formation, is looking forward to the event.

“When I was younger, there really wasn’t much talk about vocations,” he said. “And I think this is all a part of sort of restoring a culture that invites young men to discern vocations and young women to discern vocations to the religious life.

“By building a culture that’s more inviting to that, I think we’ll have a future of hope and we won’t have such a vocation crisis.”

Whether the young men who participate in “Bishop Bruté Days” ultimately do or do not discern a call to the priesthood, Father Robeson is convinced that it will help them grow closer to Christ.

“There’s nothing more important in your life than your relationship with Christ,” Father Robeson said. “And this will help them in their relationship with Christ and in their preparation to be a servant of Christ in the Church.”

(Registration for the retreat costs $40. For more information about “Bishop Bruté Days” or to register, call 317-955-6126.) †