What Creatio's been up to in the "Pre-Season"

Time spent Training, Preparing and Hoping.

[Prepare for sports analogies] We've all heard a coach say, "winners are made in the off-season". Though there really is no winning perse on a Creatio Experience, this is something that the Missionary Guides can agree with. For any good sports team, this requires time. Time spent to develop as a team, learn the plays, practice skills, workout, study film, run-through game schedules. Then, by the end, both the individual members, and the team as the whole is ready to play games with confidence.

Here at Creatio, our players are the Missionary Guides. Our games are the Creatio Experiences in New Mexico, Colorado and Spain. And this 2025 Pre-Season is being spent training well. Here's few things the Creatio Team has been doing to prepare for a year of?guiding pilgrimages and backpacking trips.?

• Weekly Spiritual Formation: Recently we've read and discussed the topics of Transformation from Ratzinger's point of view; Beauty, Truth, and Goodness from The Hundredfold; and trinitarian Communion from Wellspring of Worship. These topics lead to great conversations among the guides. We speak of personal experience, different concepts of the Church and how it all applies to our work.
• Technical Training Tuesdays: Every Tuesday, Missionary Guides set out to hike Mt. Morrison near Red Rocks Amphitheater. It's goal is to focus on the holistic needs of guiding a Creatio Experience.? It's physically demanding at 3.6miles and +2,00 ft elevation gain round trip, rain, snow or shine. It's mentally demanding as they practice their wilderness skills, handling emergency "scenarios" of common injuries and sicknesses. It also is emotionally demanding since, as most people could agree - hiking the same thing over, and over, and over again can get tiresome. But the Missionary Guides are forged by hiking and treating each Tuesday like it's a day on trail with participants.

• Creatio Experience Week: For one week in January, the Staff set out to the Superstitions Wilderness, outside of Phoenix, AZ. Similar to a scrimmage, this week is a practice for how we guide any Creatio Experience. However, this takes place somewhere not normally trod by Creatio, the desert. And this is intentional, not only because it is aggressively snowing in Colorado. Being in a more foreign backcountry forces us think on our toes, learn how one another operates, and use our outdoor skills to make decisions. All while cultivating our team culture and love of sleeping on the ground. This is truly one of the highlights of the off-season!?

• In-Office Projects: While in the office, Missionary Guides and Staff work on the behind-the-scenes parts of Experiences. We repair gear, update Guidebooks and research the areas we explore. This time is important, though sometimes we can get a little stir crazy in the winter. When that happens, we change up the music in the office. Occasionally, we have "recess" and practice card games or hacky sack - which might be us preparing to crush participants in games on trail. You'll have to see for yourself if that hard work pays off. ?

All this preparation is necessary and at times, fun. But in a real sense, it's not enough. It only becomes real and full in our relationships with participants. Every day in our daily rosary, we pray for all Creatio participants - past and future. There is a glimmer of yearning there. For "Trip-Season", when we will pray for participants - past, present, and future.

We invite you to come along with us on the Creatio Experience this year.

Or

Invite someone you know to apply to become a Missionary Guide. Applications are currently open for the 2025 - 2027 class. https://www.creatio.org/missionary-guide