The participants of the fall 2025 The Journey Young Adult Hike Retreat are seen while participating in the Oct. 24-26 retreat experience. COURTESY OF CHARLIE HARDESTY
God’s presence ‘gently nudged’ young adults on hike retreat
Reflections from the fifth young adult hike retreat
BY CHARLIE HARDESTY, OFFICE OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
“This was a unique and grounding experience. To see our church family be positive, happy, pray with, and encourage one another through the whole adventure was very moving and spiritually healing. I truly feel like I have come out of these woods with a brighter heart!” These reflections come from Bernedette Chadwick of Murray, Kentucky, after her first time on The Journey Young Adult Hike Retreat.
During the weekend of Oct. 24-26, 2025, 10 young adults joined Matt Purcell from Fancy Farm, Kentucky, and me for the fifth Journey Young Adult Hike Retreat at Land Between the Lakes. This retreat, offered twice a year, is built to be an intentional space of reflection, prayer, and adventure.
Roy Murray from St. Thomas More in Paducah shared: “The journey is an excellent way to elevate one’s mind and heart to God and truly come to request what is good (CCC 2559). Through the action of hiking, one uses the will to choose to keep going forward over the passions of the body to encounter God because, in this case, you are on this journey for no other reason except to encounter the Risen Lord. From this surrender of your body to the will fueled by the desire to walk with God the intellect comes to rest in Him. This is where and when you come to know Him and learn to truly pray that His will be done. The Journey is an excellent place to take that burden and trade it for the yoke of Christ and find rest.”
Alyssa Nichols from Our Lady of Lourdes in Owensboro shared: “I’m grateful to have gone on this experience. It pushed my physical capabilities to the max, but I completed it. It was nice to take things at my own pace without feeling rushed. God’s presence was with me the whole time gently nudging me forward when I didn’t think I could move forward.”
“This was my second hike experience,” shared Mary Jo Payne. “God showed me how much I had changed in a span of a little over a year. Not just in physical health, but also spiritually, and in my mental state of mind. It’s easy to take for granted how we improve with our thinking patterns.”
We are so grateful to the parish community of St. Henry in Aurora. Peg Potempa and Fr. Jegin Puthenpurackal are tremendous hosts and have supported each of our Journey Hike Retreats.
Our next Journey Young Adult Hike Retreat will be April 17-19, 2026. Please check https://owensborodiocese.org/journey-retreat/ for information and to register.
Originally printed in the December 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
