2023 Catholic Schools Week

School retreats pave the path for a youth to find his future as a priest

Father Kyle Rodden shows his delight in sharing time and joy with some children at St. Joseph Catholic School in Corydon, where he makes it his mission to bring students closer to God and the Catholic faith. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

When Father Kyle Rodden went on his first overnight retreat in the eighth grade, he especially looked forward to one part of it.

That was the opportunity to have the equivalent of a rare sleepover with his friends from Most Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Jeffersonville—to have fun with them through the night and into the morning.

Yet in the midst of all that fun came a revelation.

It happened as he and his friends participated in the retreat’s small groups, groups that were led by high school students whom he had long admired—neighbors and older siblings of his friends.

“They were sharing their faith,” Father Rodden recalls. “They were talking about their prayer life, their relationship with God, about how much their faith meant to them. They showed me that it was something you could take seriously and be cool. It wasn’t just for un-cool kids.

“That retreat flipped a switch for me. I lost a lot of the sense that I needed to be closeted about my faith. I may be the only one in the deanery thinking about the priesthood, but I thought it was cool, and my friends thought it was cool. I can practice my faith. I can go to daily Mass. It’s cool, and other people who are doing it are cool.”

Four years later, he had another life-changing experience during his senior retreat at Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville.

“The retreat provided a space where people shared a whole lot about their families,” recalls Father Rodden, a 2007 graduate of Providence. “I saw these guys every day, and I had no idea of the kinds of burdens they were facing throughout their lives. My heart wanted to reach out to everybody who was sharing these difficult things.

“I also had an increase in gratitude for the blessings of my life—and a real desire to not take those things for granted. I was like the Grinch. My heart grew three times that day. I wanted others to know the love of Jesus, the love of God for them, that there is a life of meaning for them in the Church, and I wanted to give my life to that.”

Those two retreat experiences were landmark moments on his path to being ordained a priest in the archdiocese in 2016. He now serves as the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Corydon and St. Mary Parish in Lanesville.

As part of his ministry, Father Rodden strives to use the knowledge he has gained and the gifts he’s been given by God to help the students at St. Joseph School to grow in their faith. The school’s principal, Brittney King, sees the difference he has made.

“Our school is blessed to have a parish priest devoted to the faith and Catholic education,” King says. “Since his arrival three years ago, our students have experienced many rich liturgical traditions—the Liturgy of the Hours four days a week, Mass, rosary for vocations, eucharistic adoration, Benediction and reconciliation.

“When all of these experiences are paired with Father Kyle’s genuine love for the Catholic faith, we have witnessed our students deepening their relationship with Christ.”

That’s the one great hope that Father Rodden has for the children.

“At the end of the day, the questions I’m asking are, ‘Do these children know Jesus in the Eucharist? Do they know he’s there for them? Have they grown in love for him?

“What I’m really dying to hear from the kids is, ‘Jesus is really there in the Blessed Sacrament, and I love him.’ We’re planting the seeds for that to happen.” †