The annual Quo Vadis Days retreat took place August 11-14, 2025 at the Father Bernard Youth Center in Mount Angel, Oregon. The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon’s Office of Vocations hosted the event for high school men to consider God’s call for their vocation. Archdiocesan seminarians led the 55 retreatants through the activities, which included presentations, small groups, hiking, a seminary visit, Liturgy of the Hours, a Eucharistic procession, and a Q&A with Archbishop Sample.
The retreat name comes from a legend that as St. Peter left Rome to escape persecution, he met a vision of Jesus walking into Rome. Peter asked Jesus, “Quo vadis, Domine,” or “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied that he was going to be crucified again. Peter followed Jesus and returned to Rome to embrace his own death. In the same way, the retreat provides an opportunity for God to speak to the men heart to heart. Vincent Vanzuylen enjoyed supporting this important encounter. He said, “As a seminarian, I was blessed to give these men the courage and hope to say yes to God’s invitation to follow after His heart.”
Deacon Tristan Schubert found the most valuable aspect of the retreat to be the fraternity among men seeking the Lord’s will. He said, “The attendees got the chance to see that there are other high schoolers serious about their faith life and that they don’t need to feel alone for considering a life as countercultural as the priesthood. When they met current seminarians, they also got to see that we are (relatively) normal people who still have the same interests and hobbies as before we entered seminary. They see that priesthood is a real option.”
The seminarians also found encouragement from the participants in their own calling. John Nguyen said, “Before coming to Quo Vadis Days, I was worried that the facade of worldly desires might hinder today’s youth from carrying their crosses and choosing to follow Christ. However, after many deep and heartfelt conversations in my small group, I was filled with hope as I learned about their eagerness to lay down their lives to serve Christ. Their zeal reignited a flame in my own heart to persevere in my own journey and set an example for future generations.”
