We were thrilled to take away 66 Sixth Form students on retreat to the Emmaus Village in January. This is the biggest number of Sixth Form we have ever had on retreat from Sacred Heart. It was an opportunity to take time out, to reflect, to pray, to spend time together, to think about who we are and what we want for our future.
The theme of the retreat was “Pilgrims of Hope”, to help us unpack this Jubilee Year, announced by Pope Francis. Students worked in small groups for times of sharing and team building exercises. There were themes for each group to reflect on, debate and be inspired by together. The timetable also included a winter walk where people really had a chance to talk and enjoy the fresh air and outdoors. Other highlights of the programme included time in the chapel to think about the ways in which God shapes our hearts, using beads to think about our word for the year. There was also mindful photography outside.
In small groups, students spent some time discussing the challenges for young people today and then looked deeper into personal timelines and journeys, thinking about what or who makes us who we are. There was time to think about putting hope into action and how we can commit to making a change for the better. Students worked on different project proposals for bringing hope to the school community. We have already been putting some of these projects into action and we look forward to building on this with our Ethos Committee.
Opportunities for prayer and reflection were weaved across the three days with deeper prayer and testimony shared every evening and led by members of the Youth Ministry Team. Our students loved the experience and really gained so much from it. We are already looking forward to the next one!
A reflection from one of our Year 13 on her YMT experience:
“I found Youth Village a genuine time to have fun with friends and forget about the stresses of exam life. It was an environment in which I was able to be provided with a lot of support in a very uncertain time and I made memories I will treasure for years to come.”