Quo Vadis Baltimore Beyond brings high school students together in faith

Wearing a blue Team Brazil soccer jersey while eating lunch at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park June 18, Ernest Binfon Jr. reflected on the next chapter of his life.

In a few months, the recent Urbana High School graduate will leave Frederick for Duke University, where he plans to study biology. Like many members of the class of 2026, Binfon is preparing for a future filled with new opportunities, challenges and questions.

But before heading off to college, he spent two days focused on something else: his faith.

“I did Catholic middle school and that was really formational for me. I grew a lot in my faith,” said Binfon, a parishioner of St. Katharine Drexel in Frederick. “Going to a public high school, I realized that my faith really keeps me grounded. Having that faith opportunity to be an example, lead in what I say and what I do as a disciple, as someone who’s growing in their role and answering the call to discipleship.”

Binfon was one of 10 recent high school graduates who attended Quo Vadis Baltimore Beyond, a new discipleship experience for young men held June 18-19 at St. Mary’s Seminary and University.

The gathering builds on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s longstanding Quo Vadis program, an annual summer camp that has helped young men grow as disciples of Christ and discern God’s call in their lives for many years. Quo Vadis Beyond was created specifically for recent high school graduates preparing to enter college, the workforce or other post-graduation paths.

Father Lenin Suarez, assistant director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said the new retreat was designed to accompany young men during a major transition in their lives.

“They are going to college, which is a big step for them, and we want to accompany them in their discernment process,” he said. “The whole idea behind it is so they don’t forget their faith.”

Father Suarez added that the retreat takes an intentional approach.

“The main thing is their call to holiness,” he explained. “They’re going out to the world … to their colleges. It’s going to be their world.”

The two-day residential experience centered on three themes: identity, relationship and mission. Participants attended talks and breakout sessions led by Father Erik Arnold, pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, and seminarians of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“Everything begins with relationship – identity flows out of relationship,” Father Arnold said. “A big part of what I draw upon is Scripture and try to weave in examples of my own life.”

Father Arnold said the years immediately following high school can feel overwhelming. After high school, life accelerates, he said, and young adults often find themselves paralyzed by the larger decisions that lie ahead. Growing up in a digital world, where everything is manipulated to appear perfect – down to the pixel, soundbite or filter –  a culture can emerge that’s filled with fear and anxiety.

However, keeping one’s heart open to the Lord helps engage fully in life, Father Arnold said.

In addition to the presentations, participants attended Mass with Archbishop William E. Lori, spent time in eucharistic adoration during a Holy Hour and witnessed the blessing of chalices for newly ordained priests.

For Binfon, whose family emigrated from Cameroon and has lived in the United States for about 25 years, faith has long been an important part of his life. He especially credits his mother for helping shape his spiritual foundation.

The rising college freshman said he came to the retreat hoping to listen to what the Holy Spirit might be saying to him and to remain open to wherever God leads. While planning for a future, he also said he is considering the possibility of entering the seminary after college.

One of the seminarians accompanying participants knows firsthand how quickly life can change.

What began as a promising future in the culinary arts took an unexpected turn for seminarian Pascal Atunzu after a tragic car accident claimed the life of a classmate when he was just 19. Now in his pastoral year with Father Matt Himes and the Catholic Retrievers at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in Catonsville, Atunzu said the experience forced him to reevaluate what mattered most.

“There has to be more to life than just being a successful baker,” said Atunzu, who served as one of the retreat mentors. “My hope for them (the participants) is that we give them a good foundation … keep them grounded … and they realize how much of their identity needs to be founded in a relationship with Christ.”

Atunzu said high school does not always provide the strongest foundation for navigating adulthood. God gives each person a mission, he said, and the challenge is remaining open to his plan.

Discernment is a never ending process, according to Father Suarez. 

“We want these young men to continue to grow in faith no matter where God takes them,” he said. 

Quo Vadis, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s annual four-day gathering for young men seeking to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, will be held July 6-9 at St. Mary’s Seminary and University. For more information, visit archbalt.org/vocations/quo-vadis.

Email Kevin J. Parks at kparks@CatholicReview.org

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