Retreats are spiritual experiences that recognise and acknowledge the
human context of the students but go beyond this to the faith context.
[1] Claire Broderick is the retreat co-ordinator in the College. She
facilitates the Junior Certificate Retreat Programme. There is a
charge for retreats built in to the school fees. The Transition Year
and Fifth Year retreats are facilitated by outside agencies. The Sixth
Year retreats are facilitated by teachers in the school.
Junior Certificate Retreat Programme
All students in Belvedere College SJ are given the opportunity to
experience an annual retreat. Students in Elements, Rudiments and
Grammar participate in one day retreats, guided by two members of
staff and are given to form groups. These retreats take place in a
venue outside of school. Students are encouraged to spend time in
reflection, small and large group discussion and in prayer. All
retreats, though they vary in content and location, are firmly rooted
in the gospels.
The themes addressed on junior retreats are outlined below.
Elements:
This retreat aims to facilitate an awareness of self, peers and God.
Throughout the day, students are guided through a number of exercises
and activities centred around their self-esteem and their
relationships with God and with their peers in the Belvedere
community. The day concludes with the celebration of the Eucharist
which is prepared by and actively participated in by the students.
Rudiments:
Adolescence and personal development are addressed in second year with
an emphasis on moral decision-making and personal responsibility.
Issues such as alcohol and substance abuse, bullying, peer pressure
and self-esteem are explored largely through role play and group
discussion. All of these issues are addressed in the context of the
gospel. Opportunity for prayer is provided through meditation and the
celebration of the Eucharist.
Grammar:
This retreat takes the form of a pilgrimage to Glendalough. Students
tour the monastic city to reflect on how the early Christian monks
dedicated their lives to God and on the relevance this holds for their
own lives. Students embark upon a ‘trust walk’ where the awareness of
students is raised regarding their interdependence on other people and
the support God can provide to us as individuals as we journey through
life. The glory of God’s creation is highlighted through meditation on
the river bank and through reflection on the gifts and talents of each
individual within the group.
Syntax:
Transition Year retreats are also day long and take place in three
venues outside of Belvedere. They are facilitated by retreat teams and
students participate in their retreats in their mixed Religion groups.
The themes addressed include relationship with God, prayer and again
the issues of adolescence. Time for prayer is an integral part of all
TY retreats.
Poetry:
There are a wide variety of retreat options available to students in Poetry.
Kolkata
Fifteen students travel to Kolkata, India to work with children and
the sick who live in extreme poverty. The daily reflection on this
experience facilitated by the teachers accompanying the students is
based on the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. This reflection on
experience enables the students to recognise the presence of God in
those they meet and the example of Jesus Christ in their work. This
reflection continues on their return from Kolkata and is driven by
meditation on their experiences and a series of reflections to assist
the group to fully assimilate and integrate their experiences.
Taize
Every year a group of approximately thirty-five Poetry students travel
to the ecumenical monastery in Taize, France to spend Holy Week with
the brothers of the community. The students attend community prayer
three times a day – morning, midday and evening – participating in the
Holy Week ceremonies. They meet daily in discussion groups with one of
the brothers and with young people from all over the world – listening
to the Gospel, talking about religious issues and sharing their faith
experience. Students participate in the many tasks necessary to ensure
the smooth running of a community of up to 7,000 people – cooking,
cleaning, patrolling the camp site etc. The culmination of the
pilgrimage is the celebration, on Easter Sunday, of the feast of the
Resurrection as people of all nationalities share the greeting “Christ
is risen”.
Kairos
The Kairos Retreat originated in America and was brought into Ireland
by our sister college, Gonzaga. Kairos has been in Belvedere College
SJ for six years and is a retreat given to 36 Poetry students by 6
Rhetoric students. It is an example of peer ministry which takes place
over 3 nights and 4 days each year. Kairos poses 4 questions to
retreatants;
1) Who am I?
2) Who is Jesus in my life?
3) What is Christ’s message for me?
4) How can I live the message of Christ?
The retreat involves a team of adult leaders in addition to the sixth
year leaders and draws heavily on the personal faith stories of all
involved. Activities include presentations, small and large group
discussion, formal liturgy and individual prayer time, recreation and
reflective exercises. The retreatant is encouraged to listen to the
input of the leaders and to reflect on this in the context of their
own lives. Kairos aims to support a student’s growth in self-awareness
and the development of a lived relationship with Jesus Christ.
The remaining students in Poetry year are given the opportunity of a
one day retreat in a venue outside of Belvedere College SJ,
facilitated by an outside retreat team. The themes addressed here
include relationship with God, faith and justice and interpersonal
relationships.
Rhetoric:
A wide variety of options are available to students in Sixth Year. The
retreats are of three days duration and are facilitated by members of
staff drawn from several subject departments.
1) Pilgrimage to Lourdes- Approximately twenty-five students travel
part of the Dublin Diocesan pilgrimage and the Oblate pilgrimage to
Lourdes each September. While there, students work supporting the sick
and disabled pilgrims in the context of the hospital and accommodation
centres. This involves considerable commitment on the part of the
students and so a rigorous application procedure takes place towards
the end of fifth year to select the group.
The following retreats are available to Rhetoric students, apart from
those who have taken part in the Lourdes pilgrimage and allow for
different interests and approaches. All of the retreats have a
spiritual dimension at their core. Students are given the opportunity
to select the retreat that most appeals to them. The vast majority of
students receive their first or second preference. All of the
retreats, except Group Dynamic and Calm in the Storm are residential.
2) Group Dynamic – The aim of this retreat is to help students to
relate to one another beyond the superficial level of everyday
engagement and to appreciate the forces in ourselves and others which
prevent honest communication.
4) Cistercian Abbey, Mount Melleray – Students join the monks as they
pray and sing the divine office. The prayer of the monks, the silence
of the monastery and the wildness of the countryside are evocative of
God’s presence in the world. The monastic tradition provides an
insight into a life that is dedicated to prayerful relationships with
God.
7) Celtic Spirituality – The Celts found their God in the nature that
surrounded them. On this retreat, students reflect on where they are
in their lives personally and spiritually and look to a future that is
made easier by accepting God’s presence in their lives. There are
opportunities for prayer, written reflection but most of all a chance
for students to deepen their relationship with God.
8) Calm in the Storm - This retreat aims to provide students with an
opportunity to ‘take stock’ at this stage in their lives. The pace of
the Leaving Cert. year is slowed for three days in order to provide
students with time for themselves, time for reflection, time to relax
in one another’s company. The issues focused on include self-image,
relationships, spirituality and hopes/aspirations for the future.
These issues will be explored by means of personal reflection, group
discussion and meditation. |
