By Dan McCarty • Posted March 25, 2026

The Philadelphia chapter of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) met for a St. Joseph Retreat on Saturday, March 21 at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Media. It included lunch, fellowship, talks on living as missionary disciples in the workplace, eucharistic adoration and confession.

YCP Philadelphia gathered for the fifth annual retreat to celebrate the March 19 solemnity of St. Joseph, the patron saint of their organization. This time, the event drew the most interest among local young adults with approximately 50 in attendance.

“We’re so excited to have everyone here today,” said Andrea Hall, director of evangelization for YCP Philadelphia. “We’re here to get to know one another.”

This year’s retreat was titled “Living as Missionary Disciples in the Workplace.” Talks were given by Jake Barajas and Tina Augustine, two parishioners of St. Mary Magdalen and parish missionaries with FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

Originally from Indiana, Barajas worked in campus ministry in California and is now in his seventh year with FOCUS. He made his way to Pennsylvania, his wife’s home state, and the couple is raising a 16-month-old child.

In his talk Barajas spoke about living in relationship with God and that through prayer one comes to know God.

“Prayer needs to be the start of a relationship,” Barajas said. “God wants to know you. People need Jesus Christ. That’s what prayer is for.”

Barajas said that while serving at San Jose State University, several students were interested in Bible study. Barajas talked to them about their prayer life, explaining that the point of prayer is to “know Christ” regardless of how they may have prayed in the past.

“God is waiting for us to be open to what He wants to give us,” Barajas said. “He wants you.”

Barajas asked the participants to explore God’s will for their lives. He mentioned how that applied to St. Joseph: When Joseph was told by an angel to take his family on the road and flee, he did so. As a man of deep prayer, Joseph knew  what God wanted for his life at that moment.

“The same holds true in our own lives,” Barajas said. “God’s will does not disappear in our lives. It’s not one moment. It’s every moment.”

During small-group discussion following Barajas’ talk, participants spoke about prayer in their lives.

“The shortest distance from heaven and earth is silence,” said Matt Povlock.

During adoration, Father Eric Banecker, pastor of St. Mary Magdalen, shared his thoughts on some of the words recited as the altar is prepared for the Eucharist. The fruits of the field and the vine given by the earth are works of human hands. Father Banecker believes that image offers a poignant message for Lent.

“God wants to heal us so that we can (produce) a little more fruit,” said Father Banecker. “The Lord has to step on the grapes in our lives.”

Augustine has been a FOCUS missionary for 13 years. A wife and mother of four sons, she lived in the Silicon Valley of California for four years before moving to Pennsylvania. She gave talks to seminarians in San Francisco and went to Europe, too.

Augustine began her talk by reminding everyone that Christians are called to evangelize through their baptism. She grew up in Connecticut and attended the University of Connecticut. She was sent on a mission to Austin, Texas and saw many cultural differences in how those residents spoke about God.

“We are invited to live as missionary disciples,” said Augustine. “We have an internal choice to make God the center of our life, to follow Jesus.”

Coming to know Christ should change one’s heart, Augustine believes.

When working in San Francisco, she tried to help people realize the importance of “knowing their testimony,” she said.

She shared the Gospel story of the woman at the well who encountered Jesus. The woman came to believe that she met the Messiah and therefore, many others also came to believe in Jesus.

“To know our testimony is so important,” said Augustine.

She encouraged the participants to spark conversations on religion with coworkers, neighbors or relatives. One important way to do that is to invite them along to church.

Although it can be a slow process of walking with people to help them know Christ, it is possible to “become spirit-filled evangelizers,” Augustine said.

Among attendees, Katie Lickfield of St. Cornelius Parish in Chadds Ford left the retreat saying she was refreshed in her relationship with the Lord, as she had hoped.

The afternoon retreat concluded with the celebration of the Saturday vigil Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent.