Shawe Memorial and Prince of Peace Parish Student Retreats
Students of Prince of Peace parish or students of Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School are invited to participate in a spiritual retreat weekend each year. The length of retreats varies by grade level, but all retreats share the same purpose and format. The retreats begin in the freshman year and build on one another, culminating in the senior year.
Freshman and sophomore retreats are two-day events typically held in the second semester. The junior retreat is three days, and the senior retreat is four. Costs vary by retreat and include all meals, overnight lodging, shirts, and materials needed to run the retreat. It is a not-for-profit event.
Retreats are a time away from the normal routines of students’ lives and offer them the opportunity to spend time with God and friends, to reflect more deeply, and to nurture their spirituality. Students are given the opportunity to focus on the relationships in their lives, learn from and share with others, and strengthen those relationships.
Adult and student leaders are needed to ensure the retreats are successful. The leaders follow an outline based on the theme of the retreat and share a moment from their lives as a witness to how they came to be in their current position, with an emphasis on the spiritual. People in all stages of faith are invited to share. Given the depth of trust students place in their leaders and in each other, leaders must commit to the full-time requirements of the retreat. Immediate (and sometimes extended) family members are not allowed to be leaders on the retreat with their family members.
What is required of any leader is a strong passion for making a difference in a teenager’s life, and the courage to lay it on the line for them to make an impression. Whatever level of faith one has isn’t as important as the ability to acknowledge one’s strengths and weaknesses in one’s relationship with Jesus Christ.
Due to the nature of the retreat, all students and leaders are expected to attend the entire retreat, if at all possible. Sensitive information may be shared, so all attendees are asked not to disclose specifics to anyone outside the retreat, out of respect for and trust in those who shared.
The Holy Spirit flows greatly throughout the events on the retreat, not only in the spiritually-based events, such as Adoration, reconciliation, Mass, and prayer, but also in the downtime of games, laughter, and sometimes tears that are shed.
