NET Retreat Teams

Known | Prayer
God wants to form a relationship with us. Like any relationship, our relationship with God is fostered through regularly spending time with Him and speaking to him. Prayer is the foundation of our relationship with God; through prayer, God will lead us to live the abundant life He has planned for us.

Choose Joy | True Happiness
God created us to live a life of happiness, but often, we choose instant gratification over authentic joy. With the free will God has given to every person, we can choose to accept God’s love, or we can choose to reject it. Even though the world suggests that we can be happy without God, we know it is only by freely accepting God’s will for our lives that we can find authentic joy that will last forever.

Free Indeed | Identity in Christ
Sin separates us from God’s love, distorting our understanding of our identity as His beloved children. Through baptism and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are freed from our slavery to sin. This gives us the freedom to know, love, and serve God in this life and to remain with Him forever in Heaven.

True Presence | The Eucharist
Is Jesus Christ truly present in the Eucharist, and if so, how does that change our lives? The life of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager who is on his way to becoming a canonized saint, answers those questions by showing us that we don’t need to be very old to recognize the beauty and utmost importance of the Eucharist.

Never Alone | Confirmation
At confirmation, Christ seals us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we can be better equipped to spread the gospel like the Apostles were at Pentecost. But it’s not enough to just receive these gifts–we must accept them and choose to use them in our daily lives.

NET Retreats are designed for young people in grades 7-12. The NET Team will drive to a location of your choice to conduct the retreat. Retreat teams share with youth a personal example of faith and support all youth ministry activities in the parish or school hosting them.

NET Retreats are conducted from September to May and can range from four hours to two days.

The ideal retreat size is 60 youth, and the absolute maximum is 80 youth. If your group has less than 20 youth, you may want to consider inviting youth from a neighboring parish to join your retreat. If your group has more than 80 youth, you must schedule multiple retreat days and divide your group accordingly - by grade, gender, etc.

The ideal length for a NET Retreat is six hours. We recommend a one-day retreat to be at least four hours and no longer than eight hours. If you would like a retreat longer than eight hours, we suggest an overnight retreat. As the host, you decide the times of meals, Mass, Reconciliation, and/or Adoration on retreat; the team will build the retreat schedule around those times.

Trained NET Missionaries
Setup and cleanup
Large group presentations
Small group discussions
Games, both general and Gospel-based
Dramas
Music
Guided prayer time
Prayer labs*
Recreational time*
Confession/Adoration/Mass*
*Varies based on the length of the retreat and priest availability

NET Catalyst events are repeated events that allow the same NET team to return four to eight times throughout the school year. Through regular interactions with NET Missionaries, youth will have the opportunity to form relationships, be held accountable, and continually be encouraged to follow Christ. They will experience games, small groups, and prayer during each event.

NET Catalyst runs on a three-year cycle with the overarching themes of:

Year 1 | Living for Christ
Year 2 | Be Christ's Disciple
Year 3 | God's Care for You

If you want to learn more or are interested in scheduling NET Catalyst events, please contact your scheduling representative or fill out the general interest form below.

All NET Retreat presentations are based on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and drawn from Sacred Scriptures, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings of the saints. After our NET Staff develops each presentation, they go through a rigorous review process by Pete Burds, Chief Mission Officer, and Father Chad VanHoose, NET’s Chaplain. NET Missionaries learn these presentations and add their own personal sharing or testimony to reinforce the central theme. For any questions about NET’s presentations or their development, email ministry@netusa.org.

NET Ministries will recruit, screen, and train missionaries ages 18-28 and provide ongoing supervision of team life and individual missionaries via NET’s team supervision process. NET thoroughly screens and trains every NET Missionary before their work with young people. Specifically, NET follows the recommendations of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” created by the National Catholic Conference of Bishops (now USCCB) in June 2002. Per these recommendations, all of our missionaries undergo an intense, comprehensive training process to ensure their suitability for work with youth before they conduct any ministry with youth. If needed, a more thorough explanation is available. Contact NET’s Human Resources Director/Safe Environment Officer at hr@netusa.org. 

NET’s screening process complies with the requirements set by the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis (location of NET’s headquarters) and the Archdioceses of Los Angeles & Cincinnati (location of NET’s Regional Mission Hubs). However, NET Ministries, Inc. takes full responsibility for the work, ministry, and actions of its employees, NET Missionaries, and any other volunteers. NET carries an insurance policy of over one million dollars to cover any necessary claims, should they arise.

All NET Missionaries:

- Are at least 18 years of age.

- Are required to provide several references who can testify to their suitability as a missionary.

- Are required to submit a letter from their pastor stating they are in good standing with the Catholic Church.

- Undergo a criminal background check conducted by The McDowell Agency, specialized to accommodate their age. This includes but is not limited to, a search on the National Sex Offenders Database and the USA Criminal Index (which is similar to fingerprinting) but does NOT include fingerprinting.

- Are trained and certified in safe environment through the “VIRTUS – Protecting God’s Children” course by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc. 

- Are required to successfully complete NET’s five-week training process prior to and supplemental training during their ministry year. During this training, they receive instruction concerning appropriate standards of conduct for those working with youth, inappropriate speech, touch, and relationships with youth, requirements for creating a safe environment for all retreatants, and guidelines for ensuring their own personal safety.

- Acknowledge annually, by their signature, that they have received, understood, and intend to conduct themselves in accordance with NET Ministries’ Personal Code of Conduct. This policy is reviewed and updated annually.

- Continue to receive ongoing training and supervision by NET Staff once they are in active ministry with NET, which includes weekly contact and quarterly on-site visits.

- Personnel records, including the paperwork mentioned above, are kept for each individual missionary at the NET Center and are available upon request by emailing ministry@netusa.org.

The training of the NET Missionaries begins each year in August. Before they arrive for training, each missionary undergoes an extensive screening and interviewing process (see above). Training lasts for five weeks and covers these primary components: Christian Character, Team Relationships, Content of Evangelization, Skill Development, and Nurturing Catholic Life.

You and your youth are essential partners for NET’s future. Underwritten by a generous donor, our NET Recruiting Referral Program serves as a thank-you for your partnership and support of our mission. If you extend an invitation to or recommend a young adult to serve with NET and he or she serves as a missionary for the 2025-2026 year, NET will give you $200 to use in one of four ways:

1. To go towards your ministry
2. To go towards a future NET Retreat
3. To go towards a YDisciple subscription
4. To go towards that missionary’s support funds

To participate in our Recruiting Referral Program, simply go to netusa.org/referral to recommend a young adult to our Recruiting Department. We will walk with them through the application process. But even more importantly, please personally invite the young adults in your life to apply to become NET Missionaries. Just as Jesus called his disciples by name, a personal invitation makes all the difference.