Retreats are a vital part of fulfilling John Carroll’s mission. Retreats help students grow as individuals and in their spirituality.
Each grade is required to go on one retreat per year. Freshmen go on a retreat at school at the end of summer and before orientation; sophomores go to St. Joan of Arc, and juniors go on an overnight retreat at the Msgr. O’Dwyer Retreat House. Seniors go on a three-day retreat at Black Rock.
Students attend these retreats and participate in various activities but do not always consider what goes into planning each retreat. At JC students have two retreat coordinators: Associate Campus Ministers Katie Smith and Rhys Gadbois.
Ms. Smith said, “First, you must consider the audience and the people you are trying to reach.”
Due to the nature of the retreats, they are each designed for a different grade level which means they are each designed for a different age group.
Each retreat must impact students meaningfully so that everyone benefits from the experience. Ms. Smith said, “The needs of the students come first. We consider what you guys need but also what’s a way to push you a little further.”
This consideration allows the ministers to properly determine what topics and lessons they should incorporate into the trips.
Students remain the main focus for both retreat leaders. Mr. Gadbois said his goal for students is for them to go to Heaven. He wants to be a part of their journey into Heaven and hopes to do this through the retreats.
While considering students is an important step in planning a school retreat, an essential step is prayer. Mr. Gadbois said, “The reality is that the best thing a retreat planner can do is pray.”
Prayer clears the planner’s mind and enables them to discern what God is placing on their hearts. This insight helps them to make the retreat the best it can be.
Retreats may take one to three days, but they take much longer to plan. Ms. Smith said, “Freshmen and senior retreats take much longer because they are new, rather than junior and sophomore retreats where there is already a plan. When we are doing something new, being creative takes longer.”
Planning a retreat is a rewarding and important job for Ms. Smith. “A lot of our retreats are based on how a lot of students don’t know who God is. I think in terms of retreats being an opportunity to encounter God on a deeper level or to feel okay taking a chance with your faith.”
Mr. Gadbois said, “What I struggle with the most about planning a retreat is striking a balance between entertainment and not watering down the Gospel and getting in the way of Jesus.” This is a delicate balance, making retreat planning very fragile and difficult to execute flawlessly.
In the future, retreats may not look exactly like today. Every year, the Campus Ministry works to better retreats from the year prior. For example, Mr. Gadbois said he wants retreats in the future to be “more unapologetically Catholic.”
A retreat that both Associate Ministers would love to see in the future is a silent retreat. This would likely be modified for students, but it would be an opportunity to sit in silence with the Lord. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity our Associate Ministers would like to bring to the JC community.