Saint Mary’s Press, 2007, 168 pp., $22.95, www.smp.org
If you’ve never planned a retreat before or you need to pull one out of a hat, Maryann Hakowski has written the playbook for you. She gives minute-by-minute outlines of five retreats adaptable to half-day, full-day, overnight or weekend scheduling.
Hakowski is Catholic. Youth Retreats has many references to Catholic songbooks and Bible versions—there’s even a retreat themed, “It’s Cool to Be Catholic.” But her fundamental tools could work for any faith tradition, and she includes exhaustive checklists, handout masters and appendices on activities.
The most unique retreat addresses social justice, featuring a poverty quiz, humility charades and a card game called “Peace.” Catholic social teaching is discussed in a soundly scriptural way, avoiding any areas of traditional Catholic-Protestant dispute.
Review by Steven Saint