The junior retreat is an overnight experience away from school. The hope is that away from his ordinary school and home routine, Blue Jays will find time and space for prayer and reflection. This time of reflection can allow students to better understand themselves and to evaluate their relationship with God. The retreat weekend also lends itself to an experience of companionship and friendship with other members of the junior class and gives Blue Jays the opportunity to look towards their future.

Each student has the opportunity to choose from one of two different retreats: a Metanoia retreat (two days/one night) or a Kairos retreat (three days/two nights).

Metanoia is a Greek term referring to a “radical conversion & change of heart, by which a person turns from selfish concerns to complete and unreserved generosity toward God and His Kingdom.” It is our hope that this retreat will give our students the opportunity to reflect on how his life can be a source of generosity to his family, his friends, his community and the world. In addition we hope that he may come to deepen his relationship with God, so as to seek out ways to live a life of selfless service. It is an awakening to new ideas and conversion of one’s heart. Metanoia is a two-day/one night retreat where students have the time for group discussions and individual reflection. This retreat also includes faculty members who share their faith through talks and meditations.

The Kairos retreat is a three-day/two-night retreat. The word Kairos is a Greek word, which means the timing of God. This is in contrast to the Chronos time, which is how we normally live our lives – a linear sense of scheduling, appointments, responsibilities, and expectations of our larger culture. Kairos time invites us to sink deeply into that invitation of the Spirit to live out our most authentic selves. The soul-full nature of God’s timing means that our truest selves are nurtured, challenged, and celebrated. We are encouraged to become the whole, creative, genuine, and real person that God sees us as.

The Kairos retreat is an opportunity to discover the Lord in oneself, family and friends. The Kairos retreat is a tradition that has spread to Catholic schools across the country, and few participants are left untouched by the experience. The retreat will be led by student leaders who have already made the retreat and who will guide the retreatants through reflection, discussion, and prayer that leads to a deeper awareness of God’s presence and blessing in their lives.

This happens through:

• Growth– the experience of learning more of who we are & furthering our capacity to learn, engage, reflect, & act.
• Connection – the experience of union with ourselves, our community & the world, & mostly importantly God.
• Transformation – the experience of being fully alive, accepted, known, cherished, & empowered to live with passion in the world.

Juniors should consult the school calendar very carefully regarding the schedule for the eight junior retreats and indicate his first, second and third choices of retreat dates on the online survey.

Juniors must complete the Junior Retreat survey by Friday, August 16, 2013. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action.