Connecting Students with their Personal Faith Journey

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” Romans 15:13. This year the students of Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools were encouraged to find joy and security in their faith while also developing their skills as future Catholic leaders. Thanks to help from the Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sisters, as well as a younger generation of priests, our faculty have been able to grow these retreat options that inspire our students to grow.

“Rejoice in the Lord Always” was the theme for the fifth grade retreat that gathered all Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools fifth grade students for a day retreat at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. Sr. Eileen—a member of the Pro Ecclesia Sancta—helped organize and facilitate the retreat. She said that while they had a lot of fifth graders, the help from the junior high and the high school allowed the students to engage more and see the spiritual leadership of their peers. Sr. Eileen praised the children’s behavior, “The fifth graders are so good. They’re so easy. When you say jump, they jump, when you say pray, they pray.”

A goal of Sr. Eileen was to help the fifth graders find security in their faith. “If they can experience that security in God, they bring that everywhere they go, even though they’re going to be in a secular place or a more challenging place, but they know that there is security and strength and a joy that comes from God.”

Fr. Klein, chaplain for O’Gorman Junior High, helped with the first seventhgrade lock-in. “We thought it was a great success.” With the help of eighthgrade students, the event was attended by more than 60 students. Retreats help the faculty and staff get to know the students on a more personal level. “For them to have fun in the presence of their religion teachers, sisters, a priest and the religious brothers gives them a view of the joy that comes from finding your vocation. So, if nothing else, I look at that as a success.”

Seventh grader, Hadley Wagner, agreed with Fr. Klein that there was joy in the lock-in. She said, “I really loved the candlelight service! It was really beautiful. I had a lot of fun playing glow-in-the-dark hide and seek with my friends. It was pretty cool to have the sisters, brothers and Fr. Klein join in.”

The feeling that faith is joyful was also present at the eighth grade retreat this year. Mr. Zach Krueger, theology campus minster at O’Gorman High School helped facilitate the retreat said, “The theme was trying to show them that Church is not just a bunch of rules. Things like joy is the goal, that God wants us to be happy.” They spent the day in adoration, learning new ways to pray, attending confession and break into small groups. There were so many students who wanted to go to confession that there were more student confessions than there were priests to handle the demand.

Junior high students often get over looked. It can be an awkward age and many are unsure as they start to explore where they belong in the world. Mr. Krueger believes that these retreats can help the students move through this difficult stage. Through these retreats, small group meetings, and time with adults who have chosen a different path in life, can show them that God is on their side. God doesn’t need them to fit a carefully constructed mold in order to be loved. Mr. Krueger said, “Their little crises that they go through, are huge to them and they just need some time of silence where they can be themselves. I think when it comes to education, it’s not just getting A’s and learning stuff. World view, who they are as people, character, I think this has added that to everyone.”

Molly Johnson, an eighth grader at O’Gorman Junior High agreed, “I like getting away from the stress of school and spending time sharing my faith with my friends. I always feel stronger when I can spend some time growing in my faith.”

"I really loved the candlelight service! It was really beautiful." - Hadley Wagner, OGJH

Mr. Brian Stai, the campus ministry coordinator for O’Gorman High School, feels that with new opportunities in front of them, students are delving deeper into their faith while also growing their leadership skills. Last fall, the high school students had the option of attending an overnight retreat at Broom Tree Retreat Center. More than 100 students and a couple dozen chaperones converged at the retreat center to take a step away from the hectic and sometimes overwhelming world of academics. Mr. Stai feels that these occasional steps away from academic life can be beneficial for students in the long run.

“The word retreat is to step back… it’s nice to step out to a familiar or unfamiliar place that’s just not tied to the emotion of the everyday grind. We all need that, to get into a new headspace.” said Mr. Stai.

"They allow us to re-center our focus on faith and our relationship with God. I feel so much happier after retreats." - Dominic Johnson, OGHS

Dominic Johnson, an eleventh grader at O’Gorman High Schools says, “The retreats happen at the perfect time of the school year, early in the year… and at the end. They come just at a time when stressors are high and we need some peace. They allow us to re-center our focus on faith and our relationship with God. I feel so much happier after retreats. I have more energy and can tackle everyday life so much better when my relationship with God is strong.”

During the retreat, older students were given the opportunity to speak to the younger students in large group settings. Two of the young women who participated spoke about faith and friendship. In the months that have followed the retreat, around 13 groups of students have continued their small group meetings every other week during their lunches. Mr. Stai guides older students on how to lead before allowing the students to take on the responsibility of leading their group.

On seeing the leadership of the students, Mr. Stai said, “I think that’s one of the things that I’m most proud of is seeing our students take that level of leadership. It really holds them to, ‘are they personally living the faith in their life?’ People see that and the underclassmen aren’t going to respect you if this is something you only do during the school day but outside of school you’re a totally different person. It’s a different level of accountability.” All of these retreats provide opportunities for the students to grow as faith leaders.

“Who helps with the fifth graders? The eighth graders. Who helps with the seventh graders? The high schoolers. Something we want to always be intentional about is always having Catholic leaders,” said Sr. Eileen. She felt they took that role very seriously and had a new appreciation for their teachers saying, “Teachers are like saints!”

The continued development of the students’ faith lives is an integral part of the Catholic education that students receive when attending Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools. Fr. Klein said, “As a Catholic school, in our own mission we attest to that. We are doing more than just forming a brain, being a school, we are forming a mind… a whole person, and that’s an important aspect of this. We are forming a whole person.”

With the help of strong teachers, staff, priests, sisters and brothers, the students learn to take a step away from the chaos of everyday life to develop leadership skills they can carry with them as they get older, and to grow a deeper relationship with God. All of these benefits help further the mission of Catholic education.

Fr. Klein put it best talking about the importance of the retreats and helping connect the students with their personal faith journey. “It’s not just a school with a crucifix on the wall; it’s a school where the crucifix on the wall means something.”