Years 7 to 10 had the opportunity to experience Pilgrimage in the Jubilee Year ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. We went on ‘Retreat’. Retreats give us time and space to examine our relationship with God and to make pledges to become better Christians by following Christ’s Commandments: ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another’.                                     

Year 10 went to St Dominic’s College. There were three activities each giving time to reflect as follows: – Reflective Bead Making Meditation; Know Yourself- Praying Hands; and - A Better Me. At the end of the day, we gathered together in prayer.

 

On the 12th of June, we arrived at St Dominic's Sixth Form College for a religious retreat. The first program was bracelets making, with beads specifically chosen to represent our own special talents, family and friends etc. This bracelet making program was exceptionally memorable as it reminded us that everyone is special and unique in their own way, but also that everyone is beautiful and has the potential to shine.

After the little break in the field, we were invited to reflect on our own self in the chapel, we were given two symbols: stone as the weights we carry and leaf as the traits we are proud of. We learnt why God created the "bad" traits and failures, and learnt to appreciate ourselves as a perfect creation from God, that our failures only make us more Christ-like and strengthen our faith.

Finally, after lunch, we were gathered again in the chapel. One of my favourite parts of the session was the story of the praying hand, (the artwork by Albrecht Dürer) the story was deeply moving and taught us about sacrifices and love; we were reminded that a little bit of sacrifice is able to make a difference in someone else's life.

At the end, we were given a final reminder to act on our faith and bring peace to the world, and most importantly, to act as pilgrims of hope.

In general, the retreat was very meaningful, it was also a break from all the stress and worries in our lives, we were able to clear our minds and calm down, and had space to appreciate ourselves and others as God's original and perfect creation.