Brother Martin, Mount Carmel students host middle-school retreat

Mount Carmel Academy senior Olivia Edler said she knew God was calling her to share her story when she was asked to give a testimonial to 97 sixth and seventh graders at middle school retreat at St. Cletus themed “Uniquely Me.”

“I wanted the young children to know that God made  each and every one of them unique,” Edler said. “I hoped that they would realize that they all have gifts that God has given them, so they should not deprive the world of the glorious gifts.”


She was among the student ambassadors from Mount Carmel Academy and Brother Martin who gave the retreat.

Edler said her focus was how each person has different gifts.  She told the middle schoolers she didn’t understand her own leadership skills until her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and her aunt with kidney failure, and she gave up sports to be with her family. She visited her aunt in intensive care nightly, praying the rosary, hoping for her recovery. She died in the hospital after 145 days. Her grandmother also lost her battle with cancer. Edler said she began questioning whether God was even there.

When Adler gave up sports at Mount Carmel when her family needed her more, other doors began opening. She joined Teens for Life to speak up for babies that have no voice and Mount Carmel Cubs Against Destructive Decisions to promote smart decision-making to students. Adler is also an altar server captain.

“Giving this talk was very rewarding because I was able to show the children how important each and every one of them is.”

She used the characters from the movie “Encanto,” which means “charm” in Spanish, to emphasize how God gave each person different gifts because “he has a plan for each and every one of us. Some of us are better at dancing than others. Having these differences does not make the girl or boy sitting next to you better or worse,  because we are all equal in the eyes of God. God has given everyone special qualities and a light to shine to the world. We should never dim our light to others because we should stay true to who we are. Mirabel feels like an outcast without a ‘gift,’ but what she doesn’t realize is that everybody has a different gift. It sometimes might not be as flashy as the Madrigal’s, who can control the weather or speak to animals, but that doesn’t mean you’re not special.”

Edler repeated a quote attributed to St. Catherine of Siena, when she told the youth to “be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” St. Catherine doesn’t mean to cause a ruckus by setting fires throughout the world, Edler said. She means to be the person God created you to be because God created each and everyone one of you for a purpose.

“As sixth and seventh graders, you might be thinking, ‘Well, I don’t know why God created me the way I am.’ God created you so the world can benefit from your gifts, so do not deprive others of the gifts God has given you. No one is perfect.” She emphasized that setbacks will occur, but so will opportunities to rebound.

Jeanne Rachuda, Student Ambassador moderator, said the retreat was tailored for middle school, drawing inspiration from MCA retreats.

“We wanted to create a meaningful and age-appropriate Catholic experience,” she said.