Living life on 'The Edge' at Marello Youth Center

High atop a lush green hill in Loomis, seemingly miles away from civilization yet only minutes from Interstate 80, sits Mt. St. Joseph Seminary and the Marello Youth Retreat Center. Most of the week, things are fairly quiet. The seminary has been a home to young men preparing for the religious life as oblates of St. Joseph since 1964. But visit the site any Wednesday evening or weekend and things are anything but hushed.Once a week approximately 50 junior high school students from the St. Joseph parish meet for The Edge."This is quite a dynamic group," said Fran Vodden, manager of the center. "We give kids the message that Jesus loves them and it doesn't matter what they've done but they have to keep trying to always improve."And since September 2002, the youth center has been open for religious youth groups to come and engage in weekend retreats. According to Vodden, the oblates of Mt. St. Joseph came up with the idea of the youth retreat center about 12 years ago. Their primary ministry is to care for the youth and they wanted a special place for them to be able to gather.The building features a huge hall that can be subdivided depending on the size of the group. Additional rooms serve as dormitories for both boys and girls with separate restroom facilities. The center also features a dining room, commercial size kitchen and lounge with fireplace."There are several places around town that have accommodations for adults, but this building was designed with youth in mind," Vodden said. "We can accommodate 70 to 80 kids overnight with about 35 to a dorm. The separate lounge area is where the adults stay."Surrounding the center are acres of undisturbed land with ample room for roaming. Stations of the Cross, a devotional walk with 14 stops along the way to stop and pray, is one of the highlights for those interested in meditation. In addition, basketball hoops and a volleyball court offer youth a way to get rid of excess energy.The mission-style architecture of both the seminary and the youth center buildings blend perfectly with the natural environment that includes numerous trees, shrubs and natural grasses all situated on 18-plus acres. The bell tower at the highest point affords an impressive view of Placer County's rolling hills.Just up the hill from the youth center is the seminary, a house of formation for men to become brothers or priests.Vodden feels the parish is lucky to have a seminary so close, as it helps to build personal relationships between the men at the seminary and the parishioners. Currently the seminary houses nine novices and three seminarians but is able to accommodate up to 30 men, including the priests.In addition to serving as the rector for Mt. St. Joseph and the pastor of the one-year-old Joseph Marello Catholic Church (that is currently meeting at Cavitt Junior High School in Granite Bay until their permanent facility is built), Father Arnold Ortiz is the director of The Edge. Along with a core team of adults and some high school students, Ortiz engages the younger teens with numerous hands-on activities, Bible readings, skits and small group sharing."We started the program because we wanted to teach youth about Jesus and the church in a fun and exciting way," Ortiz said. "There's lots of music and instead of a classroom there's lots of activities and moving around."Celina Delgadillo, 12, has been participating in The Edge meetings for a few months and she said she's enjoyed learning so many things she didn't know about the church."I like coming because I feel like I want to get in touch with myself. It's a spiritual thing," Delgadillo said.Granite Bay residents Kimberly and Stephanie Prechtl have been participating in The Edge since it began in the fall. For Stephanie, 13, the weekly meetings simply provide the opportunity to see many of her friends."It's a good hang-out spot," she said.Her 15-year-old sister Kimberly, and her friend, Laura Pajari, 14, serve as youth leaders for the junior high participants."I like being able to help out," Kimberly said. "I learn better by helping the younger kids. We have lots of hands-on activities, not just lecturing."Although Vodden admits the Marello Youth Retreat Center is primarily utilized by Catholic youth groups and has been used for confirmation and graduation retreats, any youth organization with religious purposes is invited to use the facilities.Many organizations from the Sacramento region as well as several groups from the Bay Area have done so since its opening."We just want to be able to nurture the spiritual life of the youth," Vodden said. For more information about the center, call 652-6155.Susan Belknap can be reached at sbelknap@surewest.net.