.png)
Men’s Retreat: Grounded in Something Greater
Patrick, a second-year student at FSU studying food and nutrition science, came to college already knowing he wanted a strong Catholic community. A cradle Catholic, he said his faith deepened significantly in high school through Life Teen, where he first came to a personal conviction that God is real. When he arrived at Florida State, Catholic Noles was one of the first groups he intentionally joined because he was looking for “like-minded peers who share the same values” and would help him continue growing in faith.
College life moves fast, and for many students, quiet does not come easily. Catholic Noles’ men’s retreat offered a different rhythm—one marked by prayer, fraternity, honest conversation, and time to listen for God. For Patrick Kukula, it was “a break from the regular school stuff.” For Devon Gross, it was a chance for a day where “faith is the focus.”
That same desire for deeper faith and meaningful community also shaped Devon Gross’s experience. A first-year mechanical engineering student, Devon was confirmed at St. Thomas More in November after a longer journey back toward the Catholic faith. Once he came to FSU, he said he pushed himself to attend Catholic Noles events even when it felt awkward at first, and he quickly found a community that was welcoming and sincere. That made the men’s retreat an easy yes.
​
What struck Devon most was that Catholic Noles did not feel like other environments he had known. “In high school and college, everyone can feel very critical of each other, like everyone is looking for flaws and you have to be on guard,” he said. “But with Catholic Noles, I really haven’t experienced that.” Instead, he found a community where people notice the person who feels uncomfortable and reach out with genuine care. “There are so many people who are looking for the person who is uncomfortable, not to exploit them, but to help, to get to know them, because they genuinely care about you and want to be friends with you and help you in any way they can.”
​
Both students pointed to adoration as one of the most meaningful parts of the day. Patrick said he came into it with “a lot of things to reflect on,” while Devon found the setting itself helpful — beautiful, quiet, and removed from the usual distractions of campus life. Devon was also moved by Father Chris’s talk, especially the reflection on “the ideal man, and what we’re called to be as men.” He remembered qualities like “patience, being gentle, being kind, not afraid to act when necessary” as a powerful challenge in a culture that often offers a thinner vision of manhood.
​
In the end, Patrick described the retreat simply as “a relaxing getaway with friends that brought us all closer to God.” Devon echoed that same gratitude for the community he has found, saying it has been “so helpful to me to meet people who are so kind and caring and loving, and who genuinely care about me even though they’ve known me for five minutes.”
​
Catholic Noles is especially grateful to the donors whose generosity makes retreats like this possible at no cost to students. As Devon reflected, removing that barrier allows more students to say yes — including those who may need the retreat most.