Year 10 student at St Mary’s College, Woree, Pia Cannon shares her experiences from her annual retreat in the Atherton Tablelands.
EARLIER this year, Genazzano Recreation Centre was flooded with students ready to take part in their first school retreat.
A retreat is a gift within itself – the chance to get away from the stress of everyday life and, combined with friends and fun activities, is bound to be a hit.
The days spent away saw a great strengthening of relationships between people who were already good friends and provided the opportunity to make new friends.
There were many group activities, which allowed students to discover a deeper understanding of themselves and how they fit into the world.
These included “Me and the masks I wear” and “Can you see the real me?”
There were also challenges to face about what we value most and how our relationships and faith fit into our lives.
These sessions were real “eye-openers” and helped students to further understand how we fit in as a cohort and how we will continue on next year as seniors.
Outside of these sessions a lot more fun was had with games of volleyball and footy during meal breaks and a movie night.
The retreat ended really well with a Reconciliation session and a liturgy.
Just before each person left, they were handed a container of flower seeds and an envelope of affirmations, which had been accumulated just for them – from other people in the group – over the course of the retreat.
Everything was well planned and with the theme of “Who Am I?” being just that little more defined by all the students.
Overall, everyone greatly enjoyed the retreat and a lot of positive feedback was given.
