FAQ

What is the YAG?

The YAG is a social weekend for young adult sedevacantist Catholics to get to know each other. It’s an amazing way to counter the isolation we can feel as a minority of a minority of a minority in the diverse places we live. If you are used to a tiny chapel, an occasional mission, or just Mass through a livestream, being together with (often) 100 Catholics your age with no need to explain your beliefs is totally transformative.

There is a mix of activities both quiet and active, and usually two conferences, one by an outside speaker and one by our clergy. Every day starts with Mass. We try to avoid programming every. Possible. Minute. Of time. A lot of the fun is in the gaps, anyway. We always try to have enough activities to keep people mixing but not so many that you can’t spend some time connecting with your people that you find.

Is it a matchmaking event?

We wouldn’t worry about that, just come and make friends ;) . People come for years for no other reason than to be with like-minded Catholics. But we can’t deny there are like dozens of children that exist because of the event, so, you never know.

Who can come?

The YAG is for single Catholics ages 18-35 (inclusive) who hold the sedevacantist position and who do not attend Masses offered una cum the Novus Ordo hierarchy.

Why so restrictive?

There are a multitude of ways to meet Catholics with wildly diverse theological positions, and those can be super fun and interesting, but it’s much, much harder to find ways to meet people who share our own essential principles about how to orient ourselves as Catholics during these confusing and challenging ecclesiastical times. That’s why, even though most of us have friends and family with all kinds of opinions, the YAG is “just for us”, so to speak.

So if I’m a traditional Catholic who could go one way or the other and will go to the sedevacantists, SSPX, or the indult, whoever is in town, I can’t come to the YAG?

Right. You are obviously more than welcome at St. Gertrude’s, itself, and get to know the people here and talk to the clergy about your thoughts, but this event is just for people who are reasonably sure of what they believe.

What if I go to SSPV?

Fine with us; we have several every year. But you must honestly check the box when signing up that you oppose in principle and practice the SSPV’s own exclusionary attitudes towards those who attend St. Gertrude’s and other chapels with Thuc-line clergy. If you think the SSPV is doing a good thing excluding the Catholics at the YAG’s host chapel from communion, well, clearly you do not belong at the YAG. Please do not ask for a conscientious objection exemption to checking the box on sign-up.

Why did you drop accommodations from the ticket price? This makes it so much more expensive to come 😭

Because we judged the trade-offs were no longer worth it. Our old retreat center used to house and feed us for what was really an amazing bargain, but it was far away, the food was mediocre, and the accommodations themselves were not too comfortable. Considering that most YAG attendees are travelling and have already sunk some money into attending, we judged it would be better to be able to offer a more rewarding return on investment of money and time, rather than continuing to prioritize absolute economy for an event that people look forward to for a year at a time. We’re always trying to make things better, and the retreat center was putting a ceiling on how good certain aspects could become. By the end we think you’ll agree with us that the extra cost is worth it. Be sure to get in touch with us if you want help arranging your accommodation situation!