Who We Are
The Fr. Bernard Youth Center (FBYC) is a retreat center for Catholic youth, 16 to 38 years of age, located in Mt. Angel, Oregon. Young people participate in activities and events that encourage a genuine sacramental relationship with our Lord and focus on preparation for Confirmation and Marriage, reconciliation, Eucharistic celebration and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Center was dedicated January 17, 2006 by Archbishop Vlazny from the Portland Archdiocese and has become a focal point for religious educators unlike any other in the Northwest.
Our Mission
The mission of the Fr. Bernard Youth Center is “to provide a special place for prayer and personal growth, focused on assisting youth and their mentors in their spiritual development.”
Our mission is vitally important because our youth desperately need a place of retreat where they can be themselves in safe, sacred yet comfortable surroundings that allow them to express their youthful exuberance. We are striving to assist parishes and their families to give youth every opportunity to know the faith the way God intended through the instrument of the ‘Church’.
‘The retreat experience for a young person can be a defining moment in their spiritual growth.’
It is for this reason that Fr. Bernard Youth Center supports those programs that include sacramental preparation for Confirmation, youth conferences, a Veteran’s Retreat, Oregon Youth Day Celebration, World Youth Day Pilgrimage, and many other events focused on Catholic youth.
FBYC is conveniently and centrally located along the southern edge of the Benedictine Queen of Angels Monastery. With nearly 15,000 square feet of working space, our building is an ideal setting for a youth retreat center.
FBYC houses a beautiful St. Anthony’s Chapel featuring six- 4 x 7 foot
icon-etched glass panels that create a breath-taking backdrop for the bronze tabernacle which houses the heart monstrance. The blessed Eucharist is reserved in the
tabernacle and that is what separates our Youth Center apart from all other retreat
centers.
The Chapel can seat 80 people with each chair supporting a kneeler. The Adoration area, within the Chapel, can comfortably accommodate up to 24 people. There are three Reconciliation Chapels adjacent to the Chapel as well as three additional meeting rooms ideal for small group discussions.
Our
Fireside Room
was designed to be a theatre-like space with plush seating for 65 attendees.
It is equipped with a computer, DVD/CD player, and an amplifier system for
presentations, movie watching and heart-to-heart discussions. FBYC features
a full-service commercial
kitchen for meal preparation or catering with an adjoining
Great Room that serves
as a dining room and activity area. The Great Room is ideal for dances,
projection movies, shuffleboard and table-tennis. The room’s capacity is 200
people with seating for 96.
Overnight lodging for retreatants and mentors is provided in Marmion Hall, located directly across the street. The rooms are furnished with bunk beds, dressers and desks that include two drawers and a closet.
The “Leadership training Course” has six different stations for physical and mental challenges to encourage collaboration, teamwork, mutual support and personal goal setting and assist retreat groups in developing essential life skills.
A sports field, a fire pit by a covered eating area as well as a fire pit and a “Bobcat trail” by the lower “ampa theater” make the outdoor experience more fun. We will soon have a labyrinth and natural living water feature included in the outdoor plan.
Amenities at FBYC:
Outdoor stage
Stage lighting
LCD projector
Overhead projector
Big screen TV
Computer connected to internet
DVD/CD player and VCR
PA system
Easel, paper, dry erase boards and pens
Copier (some $ charges may apply)
Fax/printer
Folding chairs and tables
Sports field, volley ball, basketball and covered picnic area.
We are funded solely by donations from private sources and community or foundation grants. We participate in various fundraising events and activities throughout the year, however, the majority of our finances come from generous and gracious donors like you.
To meet the challenge of sustaining the Fr. Bernard Youth Center, our annual revenues must exceed $350,000. to $400,000. Donations are graciously accepted in several of the following ways:
- Personal checks
- Pledges, monthly or annual
- Stock transfers to our trade account
- Planned gifts from someone’s personal estate
Your financial and prayer support will ensure that our young people, the very future of our Church, have a place to be refreshed and renewed so that they can bring Christ to the world! Please consider becoming a partner with us.
For further information, please call:503-845-4097