Gen Z and the Quest for Hope and Meaning

14th Annual Oblates & Friends of the Camaldolese Retreat & Assembly Gen Z, and the Quest for Hope and Meaning: Building Way Stations for Young Seekers Through the Ancient Practice of Benedictine Hospitality Gen Z, the teens and young adults born between 1997 and 2012, are a record-setting generation. The first cohort of “digital natives,” they master cutting edge technology with ease. Told to pursue what makes them happy, they freely explore a myriad of lifestyle options. And if they run into problems, they seek counseling without fear of being stigmatized. Yet, Gen Z suffers from depression, anxiety, and suicide at rates far higher than the already alarming levels suffered by generations before them. During our time together, we will talk about some of the causes of this crisis, along with identifying many reasons for hope. We will explore what offering Benedictine hospitality to young people with little or no connection to religion might look like. And we will listen to what Gen Z has to say about all of this during an in-depth panel discussion featuring people with intimate connections to this fascinating cohort. Your retreat will include a lovely room at Holy Spirit, all meals, and a quiet, monastic schedule: praying the Hours, daily Mass, Collatio, Taize, and Grand Silence. But you can also count on time to walk the retreat center trails, read, rest, listen to music, connect with others and enjoy the beautiful natural setting. Presenter: Paula Huston Paula is a longtime oblate of New Camaldoli Hermitage. A National Endowment of the Arts Fellow in Creative Writing, she’s the author of two novels and ten works of spiritual non-fiction. Her most recent titles are The Hermits of Big Sur, One Ordinary Sunday, and The Forgotten Map, a trail guide for young questers setting out on the ancient Christian path. She lives with her husband Mike on four acres on the Central Coast of California, along with chickens, turtles, fish, cats, dogs, bees, a giant tortoise named Barney, and frequent fascinating input from her five Gen Z grandkids. Panel Discussion Participants: Nathan Oates Nathan writes, speaks, and serves as lead pastor of Emmaus Church Community, which he started with his wife, kids, and a few friends in 2004. For more than a decade, he has been captivated by the Rule of St. Benedict, focusing on how the Benedictine vow of stability can restore the North American church. Nathan holds a Masters’ degree in spiritual formation from Wheaton College. He has authored several books, including Stability: How an Ancient Monastic Practice Can Restore Our Relationships, Churches, and Communities, and his latest: With: Midwife as Metaphor for the Care of Souls. He lives in Northern California with his wife Carmen. They have three kids: two Gen Z, one Gen Alpha, and a dog named True. Sister Joeline Santiago Sister Joeline, a licensed Marriage and Family therapist, has been a member of the Sisters of Social Service (SSS) for over fifty years. The Sisters of Social Service are an international Catholic religious congregation focused on social work, advocacy, community organizing, education, and addressing systems that perpetuate poverty and injustice. Along with her work in mission integration, Sister Joeline spent twenty-nine years teaching at Providence High School in Burbank, where she served as a beloved mentor for several generations of students, including Gen Z. Eli Waldman Eli is a Gen Z sophomore at Berkeley working toward a career in law or filmmaking. Along with his studies, he is the videographer for Project Reboot, a campus-based organization started by two neuroscientists and a data science expert. He is currently working on a documentary that tracks what happens to students who have been through a guided digital detox program designed to help them reset their tech habits and overcome their online addictions. Eli is an avid long-distance runner, hiker, and backpacker who recently talked three unsuspecting buddies into climbing Mount Shasta with him. This past summer, he worked as a counselor at Berkeley’s family camp in the Sierras, the Lair of the Golden Bear. Simone Weiss Simone is a twenty-year-old Anthropology and Geography major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and an anthropologist in daily life too, curious about the weird and mystifying stuff that people do. Simone is the president of Cal Poly Theisms, a club which explores religion and spirituality. Although raised Jewish, Simone is still searching for meaning by going on experiential field trips with Theisms, participating in a ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat, reading spiritual books, and talking to her grandma. She works summers as a camp counselor and teaching assistant and teaches occasional workshops on mindful technology use and on science-based learning techniques. After college, she might like to run a community space centered around bringing diverse groups together, possibly even groups who are not particularly compatible. Calianne Solis Calianne is a Gen Z Junior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo studying Environmental Management and Religious Studies with hopes of pursuing a career in global environmental policy. Alongside her studies, she is one of three members overseeing Cal Poly Theisms, an on-campus club which focuses on giving students the opportunity to discover and participate in a myriad of California-based religions and spiritualities. Cal Poly Theisms has explored many different religious practices, including Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, and the Witches of the Central Coast. As an agnostic, she believes in looking at all religions with an open mind to learn and understand what she can about other communities’ beliefs and culture. Musician: Isabel Bayrakdarian Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1997, Isabel Bayrakdarian is considered of the top sopranos of her generation. She has performed with many of the world’s foremost opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Festival, London’s Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, Paris Opera, and the Los Angeles Opera, in addition to her work with leading orchestras throughout North America and Europe. The featured vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, she currently serves as Professor of Voice and Head of the Opera Outreach Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she mentors the next generation of singers while continuing an international performing career. Isabel is Camaldolese oblate novice. Friday, January 9th 4:00 pm Registration (Library) 5:30 pm Dinner (Dining Room) 7:00 pm Welcome (Chapel & Zoom) 7:30 pm Musical Program with Isabel (Chapel & Zoom) 8:30 pm Grand Silence Saturday Morning, September 7th 6:30 am Tai Chi or walking meditation (Outdoors) 6:45 am Meditation w/ Elbina (Fireside Room) 7:30 am Lauds (Chapel) 8:00 am Breakfast in silence (Dining Room) 9:00 am Morning Session with Paula (Lakeview Room & Zoom) 11:00 am Break 11:15 am Eucharist (Chapel) 12:00 pm Lunch (Dining Room) 1:00 pm Break 2:30pm Afternoon Session with Paula & Panel (Lakeview Room & Zoom) 4:30 pm Break 5:00pm Vespers (Chapel) 5:30 pm Dinner (Dining Room) 6:30 pm Oblate & Community Updates (Lakeview Room & Zoom) 7:30 pm Taize Candlelight Prayer around the Cross (Chapel) 8:30 pm Dessert Social (Gardenside Room) 9:30 pm Grand Silence Sunday, September 8th 6:30 am Tai Chi or walking meditation (Outdoors) 6:45 am Meditation w/ Elbina (Fireside Room) 7:30 am Lauds (Chapel) 8:00 am Breakfast in silence (Dining Room) 9:00 am Collatio (Lakeside Room) 10:00 am Break & Checkout 10:15 am Poetry & Art (Lakeside Room) 11:00 am Sunday Eucharist (Chapel) 12:00 pm Lunch (Dining Room) 1:00 pm Departure - Safe travels!