With the first full week of school behind them, pre-freshmen met Saturday, Aug. 23 to reflect upon the importance of faith, family, and friends in each young man’s life at their first retreat as Jesuit students. The Pre-Freshmen Retreat saw the Class of 2019 participate in small group discussions led by juniors and seniors active in the Campus Ministry program.

During a six-hour stay, the eighth graders made new friends and bonded as classmates. Together they attended Mass, ate dinner, prayed, played, and participated in small group discussions. Throughout the evening, students had many opportunities to reflect upon the conversion of St. Ignatius Loyola as a model for their spiritual development at Jesuit.

Senior Francis Plough, the rector for the retreat, welcomed students into the auditorium and gave them an introduction to the evening’s activities. In the first session, senior Patrick LaCour introduced the students to the Jesuit motto A.M.D.G., followed by senior Patrick Fine who encouraged the young Blue Jays to be Men for Others.

In the second round of speakers, seniors Harrison Bond and Brady Stiller gave personal witness talks centered on the conversion of St. Ignatius. In between talks, the pre-freshmen participated in small group discussions, reflecting on the desires for their life at Jesuit and considering where God was leading them in their years as Blue Jays.

The retreat also included Mass and a prayer service, where Francis Plough led the students in a meditation on Matthew 14, the biblical passage where Jesus calls Peter out of the boat to walk on the water.

A similar night of fun and fellowship is scheduled for the freshman class on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 2 – 8 p.m.