The theme of the year 7 retreat day was “God’s gift of creation”. In Genesis 1:26 and 1:28, God gives people “dominion” over creation. From the beginning, God asked humans to care for one another and for all creation. We are to act as caretakers or stewards of creation. The basis of all stewardship can be traced back to our creation. During the day we focused on how we can be good stewards of God’s creation through a range of activities. We were blessed with a beautiful Autumn day which enabled us to make the most of the beautiful grounds surrounding the chapel and helped pupils to reflect and pray on the beauty of the world and all the things they are grateful for.

Our day culminated with a celebration of Mass, including prayers and hymns prepared by the pupils during the day. The year 7s participated wonderfully and their singing was superb.

The aim of our retreat was to provide an opportunity to experience faith on a more personal way and on a level different than “book knowledge.” The day allowed for a “retreat” from the typical academic day and provided opportunities for reflection and spiritual experience, an increase in self- knowledge and a deepening of relationships among members of each form group. The feedback we received from pupils reflected the success of the day, “I feel it brought me and my new friends closer.” “I loved the activities, they were really great fun!”