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School Evangelisation

Last week Year 11 had their Senior Retreat at Yarrahapinni. The theme was " Quo Vadis", Latin for "Where are you going?", and "You are the Light of the World."

Retreat is about retreating from the everyday, retreating from the pressures of school, home and work. A time to self-reflect, a time to focus on faith, to bond with peers, and a time to think about the future.

Many students had expressed hesitancy about the three-day event: trepidation, some anxiety about the unknown and some negativity in attitude. Others were excited to be spending time with their friends as they complete their first term as HSC students.

But…

The year 11 group who arrived at retreat on day one were certainly a very different group when they left on day three.

There was healing of broken friendships.

There was self-reflection.

There was a discovery of how others see us.

There were opportunities to be vulnerable, to speak, to listen and to grow in understanding.

There was a focus on God and His everpresence.

There is something special about retreat- we always leave with happy tears in our eyes and a sense of how wonderful our school community is. These retreats emphasise community, commitment and love.

These are special young adults in our care.

We were fortunate to have Sawtell's Father Michael lead the Reconciliation evening, a beautiful night of prayer and forgiveness.

Father Peter, our school chaplain, celebrated Mass with us on our final day, and the Responsorial Psalm echoed our retreat theme: "Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life."

A whole hearted thanks to the stamina and wisdom and teamwork of the retreat staff:

Mrs Johnson, a wonderful Leader of Well-being whose ongoing support of Year 11 knows no bounds!

Our dedicated and caring small group leaders:

Greg Keith, Kurt Marle, Carla Snow, Sally Poidevin, Steve Verbruggen, Leanne Gennat, Gabi Majarich (YMO), Darcy Hartin (YMO), and Amber Scanes (Youth and Young Adults' Leader for St Augustine's Parish).

These amazing staff members gave up their time, family commitments, comfortable beds and SLEEP to accompany our students on their three day journey.

To Jackson Adams and Jill Clack, our fantastic student support workers, whose energy and humour are constant gifts to the group.

And to our school counsellors, Alee Isgro and Andrew Hart, whose assistance with small groups and personal testimony were invaluable.

Retreat would be impossible without these strong and caring leaders.

And to our special guest speaker, Dr Genevieve, whose testimony and faith journey provided heartfelt inspiration. Her willingness to share time with our students away from her busy practice speaks volumes about our connection with the broader faith community.

Thanks to the SJPC office crew whose willingness to help with the back end of organising the retreat speaks volumes about our school community.

A special thanks to the Yarrahapinni Adventist Youth Centre for looking after us, as usual, and especially to Katie, Ivan, Jason, and Chef Joshua and his team.

Now, pictures speak louder than words!