TEC — Teens Encounter Christ — 2021

WHAT A WEEK — A Holy and Exciting Week!!! 
St. Francis Catholic Church started the week of July 18th through 23rd with a wild and wet Totus Tuus retreat for our 1st through 6th graders.[1]  Before the dust had settled, we started a traditional St. Francis Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) Retreat for sixteen candidates from around the Diocese of Wichita.  Wichita TEC #165 took place at the St. Paul High School on Friday June 23-Sunday June 25.

Teens Encounter Christ is a 3 day retreat for High School Juniors and older.  It focuses on Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the mission for his disciples to spread his love throughout the world. Here are some highlights and facts about this year's St. Paul TEC and the program in general:

• We said "traditional" — Why?   There are multiple TEC's in the Wichita Diocese each year, and locations vary.  But during the past 2-3 decades, St. Paul has hosted a disproportionate share of the events.  Why?  It likely has a lot to do with our historical standing as the Cradle of Catholicism in Southern Kansas. [2]
• This year's St. Paul TEC candidates included: nine from St. Francis, St. Paul; two from St. Michael, Girard; one from Our Lady of Lourdes, Pittsburg; one from Sacred Heart, Fredonia; three from St. Michael, Mulvane.
• TEC is held in 50 U.S. Catholic dioceses and has expanded overseas.
• This was only the sixth TEC in the nation to have been held since the pandemic began. 

TEC's are an intense spiritual event that changes people's lives; and forms relationships that last a lifetime.  Anyone who has made a TEC retreat is encouraged to come serve on future TECs!  Did we mention they are a lot of fun!  Here is some photographic proof:

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Thanks to Our TEC Crew:
Resource:

• Lay Director - Keaton McCracken
• Music/Asst. Director - Dustin Treiber
• Spiritual Director - Father Jeremy Huser
• Morgan Bruna
• Irene Langerot
• Rick Langerot
• Aaron Stonerock
• Sarah Treiber
• Krista Wegerer

Wheat Crew (WC):

• WC Director - Emily Rose Stonerock
• WC Spiritual Director - Fr. David Voss
• Cook - Janet Holden
• Austin Dowell
• David Walker

Also, thanks to Amy Lomshek who couldn't commit full time, but unofficially popped in and out to help behind the scenes.  We were a little short handed this year and she helped a lot.

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NOTE:
1.  For information about the St. Francis Totus Tuus, follow THIS link.
2. A former Diocese TEC Director, Andy Green, told us years ago that he loved to bring a group of youth to St. Paul for a TEC.  He knew they were coming to a truly holy place — the birthplace of Roman Catholicism in southern Kansas.  To better understand follow THIS link.