RAMÓN: Saintly Saturdays... From sinner to saint

The fall and winter months are full of beautiful events surrounding the holy days in our Church’s calendar. For the past several years, Special Youth Services has sought to bring a retreat experience to the youth who are currently serving time in juvenile detention centers in and around the city of Houston. As this retreat is typically scheduled close to All Saints’ Day, the theme has consistently been “Saintly Saturday: From Sinner to Saint.”

Special Youth Services was blessed to host this year’s “Saintly Saturday” retreat for the youth at a detention facility in Katy on Nov. 2, 2024. Much planning went into the event, and many people came together to ensure that the youth were provided with the best possible experience. Several weeks prior to Saintly Saturday, musicians were preparing music, speakers rehearsed testimonies, and abundant prayers were being offered for the youth in the facility by our volunteers. Middle school students at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School also decorated paper sacks and wrote letters to the youth who would be attending this retreat, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society donated snacks and items to go into these “hope bags.” Preparation for this event was truly an image of the Church coming together to bring Christ into the world.

That Saturday, as the youth filed into the gym and “Saintly Saturday” officially began, we were able to witness all the hard work that came to fruition. The day began with praise and worship music provided by a live band, which led to the first testimony of the day given by a member of the Houston community. The youth were then able to engage in some friendly competition as they created a poster that could best illustrate the journey from sinner to saint. After lunch, the youth heard the second testimony of the day, this time given by a young man who had quite literally been in the shoes of the youth in this facility several years ago. He spoke of his experience and how his life was changed by encounters with the love and mercy of God. The “Forgiveness Hour” gave the youth an opportunity to reflect on their lives, offer prayer for their loved ones, be prayed over by volunteers, and/or sit with a priest for confession.

At the end of the day, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo served as the celebrant for Mass with the youth. Staff and volunteers were also in attendance. Assisting the Cardinal were youth personally selected to serve as lectors and altar servers, and it was incredibly profound to see them humbly serve at the altar of the Lord alongside our Cardinal for the first time.

In every way, this day was a visible representation of the arms of the Church reaching out to embrace Her children in love and invite them into a holy communion: the communion of saints and the communion of sinners striving for sainthood. 

Mónica Ramón is an associate director for Special Youth Services.