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Buckley Team | Message from Fr Charles | Mission Statement
History of the Buckley Team | What a Team Member Does | Buckley Retreats
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The Buckley Team is a group of St. Gregory's students who conduct retreats for junior and senior high school youth. The team travels on weekends to various parishes and schools sharing their Catholic faith. The ministry the students provide is made possible through a gift from the estate of John and Genevieve Buckley. Thanks to this gift, the Buckley Team has been successful for more than a decade.
Through the years the Buckley Team has experienced many changes but its mission has remained the same throughout, to provide area parishes and schools with a ministry in which students can learn from other young adults. Today, the team consists of 10-12 members who conduct approximately 20 retreats a year.
The team tailors each retreat to meet the needs of the parish or school that it works with. Although Confirmation is a common topic the team also does retreats on various sacraments, saints, Advent, Lent and a number of other areas.
To become a member of the Buckley team, please fill out this application and return it to Victor Poole.
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Message from Fr Charles
In 1990 a dream found opportunity. For years several members of the St. Gregory's community had been envisioning a group of St. Gregory's students providing a resource for Catholic youth ministry in the state of Oklahoma. We were able, using my parents' estate, to create a scholarship fund for this purpose. Over these 14 years, lively and faith-filled students travel to parishes in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas to show that their faith is alive and life-giving. At the same time, they present a healthy image of the education that is the gift of St. Gregory's University to the Catholic community in Oklahoma.
| -Fr. Charles Buckley, O.S.B. |
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Buckley Team Mission Statement
We, the Buckley Team of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, declare our mission to be true disciples of Christ, Soldiers of the Cross, by proclaiming the Word of God though our actions and words. We will be a team by upholding each other in times of sorrow and joy, through trusting, comforting, learning and praying together. By doing so, we will become a better example to those to whom we minister on retreats and in daily life. Through our retreats we will help teams to know and to understand their Catholic faith. By sharing our personal experiences, we can guide them on their own journey with Christ. By fulfilling our mission, we will love and serve God in communion with each other.
Signed,
Megan Deslongchamp, Samantha Bugos, J Guadalupe Salgado, Connie Bair,
Joshua Dutchover, Karen Hynes & Charles Buckley, O.S.B.
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History of the Buckley Team
Prior to 1990 the thought of having a ministry in which college students ministered to the youth of Oklahoma was just a dream for several members of the St. Gregory's community. In 1990, with the gift of the estate of John and Genevieve Buckley, the Buckley Outreach Team became a reality. Using the funds from this estate to provide scholarships to team members, the University was able to select students who would spend their weekends conducting retreats for youth in central Oklahoma.
Today the mission remains the same while the ministry has grown. Currently, the team makes trips throughout Oklahoma, northern Texas and western Arkansas. Over the course of the year the team conducts an average of 20 retreats for approximately 50 parishes and reaches out to nearly 1,000 youth.
The team has grown since those early days in 1990 and with the continued enthusiasm of the members and the growing support of Youth Ministers and Directors of Religious Education the team looks forward to a bright future assisting youth during their spiritual journey.
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What a Team Member Does
Buckley Team members design and give retreats for high-school students in the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas areas. Buckley's strive to be witnesses to their Catholic faith in their daily lives as students, athletes, friends, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters; and to continually grow individually and as a group through Scripture, sacraments, and ministering to others.
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What is a Buckley Retreat
Grounded in the Catholic Bishops' document, "Renewing the Vision," each Buckley retreat strives to incorporate the goals of discipleship, evangelization, and spirituality. Tailoring each retreat to the specific parish and using skits, talks, ice-breakers, games, and small group discussions, the team members aim to empower and challenge high-school students to learn about and live out their Catholic faith. The current schedule of retreats can be found by following this link.
To request a Buckley Retreat for your parish, please fill out this application and return it to Victor Poole.
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