REFLECTIONS ON RETREATS IN CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Graham Rossiter, School of Religious Education Australian Catholic University Sydney

Following these introductory remarks there are three contributions from teachers, reflecting on different aspects of retreats in Catholic secondary schools.   This material can stimulate reflection about the nature, purposes and conduct of retreats and their integration within the overall religious education offered within Catholic schools.

The retreat has been one of the most successful components of religious education in Catholic schools in Australia.   Complementing their extensive tradition in Catholic spirituality generally (especially within religious orders), retreats have had a long history in Catholic schooling.   Students who attended Catholic schools in the 1950s would remember retreat days consisting of lectures from a priest, spiritual reading, time for reflection, prayer sessions and benediction.   While retaining their prominent spiritual focus, school retreats have evolved into a variety of forms since that time.   Of special note is the live-in retreat, which is the focus of attention here.

The Successful Live-in Retreat

The success of retreats is not just a matter of having the right techniques and activities.   The retreat experience provides possibilities for enhancing young people's spirituality that are different from, but complementary to, those of the classroom and general school context.   Where the distinctions are blurred, the appropriateness and the effectiveness of religious education in these contexts will be compromised.   This happened in the late 1960s and 1970s when the new style communitarian retreats took some Catholic secondary schools 'by storm' because of the great enthusiasm with which they were greeted by young people (and also by parents and other adults).   Religion teachers who tried to turn their religion lessons into retreat experiences, and who used activities that were more experientially suited to the retreat situation, found out that the strategies would not necessarily work so well in the classroom.

     Valuing the retreat's distinctiveness is one thing;  but also important is its integration within the school's total program for religious education.

Reviewing the scope and potential of retreats

Some important questions about retreats that will be considered here are:-

*   Optional and required attendance:   their relative influence on student receptivity and involvement in the retreat;

*   The emotional/personal dimension of retreats:

          -  The relevance of therapeutic and counselling models for understanding the personal dynamics of retreats and for structuring retreat experiences.

          -  To extent to which it is appropriate to try to generate emotion and euphoria in a retreat.

          -  The extent to which the retreat experience meets the personal needs of the adults who are conducting the retreats.

Optional and Required Attendance:  Their Influence on Student Receptivity and Involvement

Experience in the conduct of retreats both for secondary school students and for adults helps with the process of getting these questions into perspective.   Even with wide variability in the scope and quality of retreat programs for adults, they are almost inevitably successful because of the optional, self-selected attendance.   The adult retreat team can expect that participants have come to with the specific intention of reflecting on their spirituality, praying and talking with others, usually at a personal level -- a genuine adult catechesis.   Because of the many complicated factors that influence young people's attendance at retreats, it is unwise to make the same assumptions uncritically.   The option to attend a school retreat does not mean that all the participants will automatically accept the retreat leaders' assumptions about participation -- even if they articulate these presumptions for the students.   Similarly, it would be unwise to presume, even at a compulsory retreat, that students will be unwilling to focus on the spiritual, to pray and to share insights on spirituality.

     Whether the retreat is optional or compulsory, retreat teams need to spell out clearly what expectations they have.   This will often focus on personal contributions from the students.   Care needs to be taken that the invitation to an increased personalism during the retreat is not forced or manipulative.   The retreat team also needs to know what the students expect;   there needs to be dialogue and clarification.

     Some school staff think that retreats should always be optional because this is the only way you can be sure of getting an appropriate level of interaction during the retreat.   While this is a good point, others would argue that if there is not required attendance at least one retreat -- perhaps earlier in a sequence of retreats -- then some young people will never experience what the possibilities are in a retreat and they may never attend because of prejudiced or inaccurate views.   There has been good evidence in some schools that the level of attendance at optional retreats increased significantly after having required retreats at one year level, which gave the students a better initial experience and understanding of what retreats can be like.   Where there is required attendance, the retreat team cannot expect the same sort of atmosphere and responses that might come more readily with a small group of volunteers.

     So, different expectations go with different retreat formats -- all of which have potential to enhance the spirituality of students.   In some instances, effective retreats have been conducted for a whole year level group, numbering about 120, while smaller optional groups of about 25 would be easier to manage with simpler logistics at the retreat site, but with perhaps more complicated organisation needed back at school to cover the absences of teachers and pupils.

The emotional/personal dimension of retreats:

The Relevance of Therapeutic and Counselling Models for Understanding the Personal Dynamics of Retreats:    For retreat leaders, an understanding of group dynamics and of the types of personal contributions that individuals make to group discussions is important;  skill and sensitivity in fostering personal discussions are invaluable.   The approach is naturally more relaxed and open ended than that of the classroom.

     In the 1970s, Rogerian counselling psychology and ideas from group therapy proved valuable for those who were involved in retreat ministry.   Books like Carl Rogers' Freedom to Learn, the manual Personal and Organisational Change through Group Methods, and Eugene Kennedy's On Becoming a Counsellor were read to determine their relevance to retreat work.

     Discussions amongst retreat leaders at the time identified the scope in a retreat experience for bringing about personal change.   The retreat as a process for bringing about 'attitudinal change' was compared with the use of sensitivity groups for facilitating attitudinal change in business and community groups, as well as in psychiatric groups.   In 1976, the United States journal Religious Education carried the respectable article titled "A Therapeutic Model of Religious Education."

     It was a matter of balance:  determining how much of these aspects of adult counselling psychology were relevant to school retreats.   Some trial and error was inevitable.   An understanding of group dynamics and personal interactions was helpful in structuring retreat experiences, while the extreme of making the retreat into something like a therapy group was to be avoided.   This is still a pertinent issue for retreat leaders today.

     There was then, and there still remains, a natural tendency for teachers who conduct retreats (and also to some extent for classroom religious education) to think that what proves interesting and exciting for them personally, emotionally or spiritually will have relevance to their school retreats.   Their own emotional and spiritual inclinations inform what they think is appropriate for their students.   This is normal and healthy as long as there is balance and a readiness not to presume that ones' own emotional needs correspond exactly with those of the students.   Today there is more interest in the application of ideas from Myers Briggs, eneagrams, massage, journalling, relaxation therapy, aromatherapy etc.   All have a useful contribution to make to retreat work.   Where the emphasis is exaggerated, the students will be quick to recognise when a staff member is on a particular 'hobby horse'.   One recent example involved a retreat team member who told the students his purpose in retreats was 'emotional therapy' -- "for whom?" the students asked.

     The retreat as an experience that fosters spiritual and personal growth in young people will almost inevitably draw on psychology and on psychological techniques.   But if the psychological emphasis is excessive, and if techniques are employed that would make an experienced psychotherapist cringe, then the spiritual and personal value of the retreats will be compromised.   Just as the place of personal interactions in religion lessons has been an important issue for clarifying the nature and purpose of classroom religious education, so too it is important for retreats -- but subtlety different in possibilities because of the naturally more personal nature of the retreat context.

To extent to which it is appropriate to try to generate emotion and euphoria in a retreat:     There is no doubt that personalism is a central and invaluable component of the retreat.   Articulating what is a healthy personalism on a retreat is therefore important for both students and participating staff.

     Maturity and balance are required of school retreat staff because their efforts to promote the emotional/personal dimension of retreats need to be authentic, enjoyable and educational -- and not artificial or manipulative.

     A key focus of interest of retreat teams, but not the only one, is often the emotion and general feeling of well being (euphoria) generated in the students during the retreat -- it may be talked about as if it were a barometer of success.   This is natural enough because the retreat can have much personal significance for students and staff -- like what Maslow called a 'peak experience'.   Just as was the case in the 1970s, there is still the need for retreat leaders to review carefully what they see as appropriate as regards the emotionality of their retreats.

     It is important to highlight the possibility and the value of personal discussions without forcing this onto the students.   The leaders need to recognise that the students will respond to this naturally and easily.   In some instances students will not do this and will resist attempts to try to get them to be personal.   This is where a sensitivity on the part of the leaders to the students' privacy and freedom is crucial.

     Emotion and euphoria -- related to community experience and personal interactions -- are important ingredients in the retreat.   The feelings of well being and enjoyment often have a spiritual dimension -- "where two or three are gathered in my name. . . "   This is particularly relevant to the sacramental celebrations of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

     While the emotional component may be prominent in the thinking of retreat leaders, the emotional component of spirituality and spiritual development is often neglected in the more general thinking and writings concerned with the spiritual or faith development of young people.

     Often students experience an 'emotional high' during the retreat.   It is then pertinent to determine:  is this euphoria authentic and educational?  has it been engineered or has it grown naturally as a byproduct of the retreat's educational processes?   where is this emotion headed?   what is the best way of handling it?   how will it relate to the 'back home' and 'school' situations where there is less likelihood that this sort of emotion will be generated and sustained?

     Firstly, the emotion and euphoria that grow out of the community experience of the retreat and out of the personal reflections and interactions of the young people need to be acknowledged and accepted;  secondly, the emotion needs to be put into some perspective.   Something can be done to avoid letting this emotion compromise the overall value of the retreat when it is over;   when the students return home, they find life back there so different from the joy and euphoria of the retreat that they can dismiss the latter as an unreal experience.

     Doing something to address this potential problem is not to deny or diminish the experience, but rather to help students understand how and why the emotion arose and what implications this has for the place of emotion in their ordinary life and in their spirituality.   In some retreats, the retreat staff will lead the students (this may involve role plays) to identify and understand the factors that helped generate the emotion and euphoria in the first place.   This might include:  the break from school;  not being in school uniform;  being away from the barriers to friendly relationships that often apply at school;  more informality with other students;  more informality and approachability with the staff;  break from school work and study tensions;  opportunity for discussion, prayer and reflection;  more engaging celebrations of Eucharist and Reconciliation.   It is also useful to point out to students some of the aspects of what is called 'Peak Experience learning'.   It suggests that after the emotion and euphoria of the event subside, convictions learned during the exciting experience can remain.   If the retreat is a 'mountain top' experience, then it can leave participants with valuable convictions that remain when they have returned to the 'valleys' that make up so much of life.

The extent to which the retreat experience meets the personal needs of the adults who are conducting the retreats:   The retreat leaders are not emotionally neutral as regards what happens on a retreat;   neither should they be.   It is natural for them too to enjoy the shared emotion and euphoria.   But they are in the position of determining the course of the retreat with the possibilities of generating emotion and euphoria in mind;  so they have to be sensitive and responsible.   They have to be honest in reminding themselves:  "I need to be more concerned with the students' emotional needs than with satisfying my own."

     Emotion should not be sought just for emotion's sake.   Some retreat leaders seem to think that having students shed real or virtual tears in their group is proof they have been successful.   Or, they will have a go for the marathon record for length of Reconciliation service and Eucharist (with ever more varied add-on activities) -- which may leave students both physically and emotionally drained.   If the retreats get too extravagant in this regard, they become manipulative, having a long term negative effect even though students may feel they liked the emotional experience at the time.   Staff need to weigh up what sort of emotion a particular activity is likely to generate.   They need to judge:  Is this being done with the education of young people in mind and not just to stimulate them towards an emotional high?

     Re-emphasising the point made above:   balance is essential.

     An important factor in the emotionality of the retreat is the level of intimacy in discussions.   Learning how to relate to others at a personal level is an important developmental task for adolescents.   Often at school and in other social settings all sorts of stereotypes and restrictions inhibit relaxed friendly relations.   The retreat can be an experience where these problems are minimised and students can enjoy the thrill of being able to relate in a friendly and relaxed way in discussing personal matters -- something they find so difficult in other contexts.

     This experience has also proved to be important for retreat leaders.   For many of them, it has a carry over into their relationships elsewhere.   They may have learned much personally from the retreats they have conducted.   To make sure that the levels of interaction in the retreat are healthy and not manipulative, it is important for them to think through what their own intimacy needs are and to consider to what extent these are being meet within retreat group discussions and one-to-one interactions.   Retreat leaders need to acknowledge that they can get a lot of personal satisfaction from their retreat interactions with students.   The extreme is always to be avoided where the personalism is being sought more for the needs of the retreat leader than for the student.   An example of this problem was evident when a staff member used the retreat for finding individual students for counselling sessions;  once he 'engaged' such a student, he tended to neglect what was happening to the rest of the group.   It is difficult for individual students to know how to handle these situations.   Some personal counselling will be appreciated and valued by them.   When they find that the counselling relationship is being extended and becomes the basis of a relationship with a staff member they can begin to feel uncomfortable while not knowing how to get out of the situation easily.   A good counselling relationship is one that will end naturally when no more counselling is needed.   In these circumstances, the young person feels free to relate to the adult in question at various levels and does not feel compelled to talk about problems every time they meet.

     Students have complained about teachers who are excessive in their pursuit of intimacy in groups or in their quest for potential counselees to counsel -- such teachers were dubbed 'emotional vampires'.   These excesses need to checked so that the intimacy in groups is healthy and valuable for student spiritual growth;  and the counselling done in and after retreats is helpful and not embarrassing for students.

     Just how readily school staff might be involved in school retreats will depend on how they see themselves placed with regard to personalism in the retreat generally and in group discussion in particular.    Difficulties occur where some staff are afraid of going on retreats because they think it will require an openness about their personal life and spirituality that they are not prepared to share readily with students.   It may appear to them like being drafted into a counselling situation.   On the other hand, there may be problems where school staff who like relating personally to students use the retreat more for meeting their emotional needs than those of their students.   Alarm bells sound for me when I hear an overemphasis of the counselling language of 'risk', 'openness', 'giving of yourself' and 'vulnerability' etc. inviting personal interactions and confidences from students.   Questions need to be answered as to what are appropriate procedures for promoting personal contributions from students;  and when are emotion and euphoria natural, healthy components of the retreat, and how are they to be handled so that the students will benefit from the experience without feeling at some later stage that their responses and emotions had been 'engineered'.

Conclusion

The above topics are not always discussed amongst retreat team members as much as they should be.   However, because they are often important threads running through the fabric of the retreat experience they warrant thoughtful consideration.

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INTEGRATION OF RETREATS

Brian Edmonds, Religious Education Coordinator, Sydney Catholic Schools system

There is a need to apply more creative thought and energy to the task of grounding the heightened experience of retreats within everyday reality.   The last ten years have seen significant change in the field of school retreats.   A steady decline in the availability of specialist retreat teams across Australia has necessitated a movement towards school-based retreat and ministry programs.   While this situation has presented considerable challenges for Catholic schools in terms of personnel, venues and resources, it has also provided a window of opportunity for the development of a more integrated retreat experience for students.

     The following will explore the potential for extension and integration of the retreat experiences into the wider school context.   After a brief reflection on the purposes and scope of school retreats, discussion will focus on practical ideas for preparation, evaluation and follow-up of retreat programs.

     There is little doubt that school retreats represent one of the most explicit and effective expressions of Catholic school culture and belief.   The retreat experience is characterised by an emphasis on developing reflective awareness, a sense of belonging and connectedness, an appreciation of the need for reconciliation, a deep respect for individuals and their stories and a search for religious meaning.   As challenging as this sounds, feedback from students invariably affirms the impact and influence of retreats on their personal spiritual journey.

     But retreat evaluations often reveal a further significant issue – a genuine desire among both staff and students for the development of links between the retreat and normal school and family life – where the insights and enthusiasm of the experience may well be relevant and inspirational, but often fade into the background of hectic daily existence.

     In many ways, circumstances have limited the development of these important connections.   Whether it is due to the all-consuming pressures of the senior study timetable, a lack of access to visiting retreat personnel before and after the retreat, or even a basic misunderstanding of retreat philosophy.

Preparation

Preparation for retreats must address three main issues - student attitudes, staff skills and organisational details.   While logistics and the familiarising of staff with retreat philosophy and practice are important, the most crucial element of preparation is the encouragement of positive expectations in the students.   Some practical suggestions:--

• Having a junior reflection program that gradually introduces students to the retreat process and environment.   This needs to be entertaining, relevant and sequential if it is going to provide grounding for senior retreats.   Ideally it should expose students to a variety of retreat presenters and formats.
• A series of meetings with the year group where students are first given basic organisational details of the retreat and are then introduced to the general philosophy and characteristics of the retreat experience.   While staff input is important in this process, students will often respond even more positively to reflections and information provided by students from previous groups who have had worthwhile experiences at retreats.
• Drawing a clear distinction between ‘retreat’ and ‘camp’ environments.   While a balanced retreat program will offer considerable opportunity for fun and relaxation, students must realise that the retreat process also emphasises the value of reflection and renewal.
• Involvement of students in retreat planning.   There are obvious limits to the amount of influence that students can be given in organising the retreat program but it is often wise to gauge student expectations and opinion on areas of general planning.   This process not only encourages a sense of ownership among the students but can  also provide guidance for the retreat team in avoiding adverse student reaction to any particular elements of the program.   Experience suggests that some groups react unexpectedly and poorly to even the most basic retreat components such as games, reflective writing, small group discussion or prayer – so forewarning can be vital for developing an effective overall program.
• The questions of staff selection and preparation are also very important.   This may take into account a variety of criteria, but ultimately decisions should be based on the quality of rapport between staff and students and the willingness of staff members to actively support the retreat process.   Thorough preparation of staff is critical to the flow and effectiveness of any retreat.   While most staff groups will have some collective experience, it should never be assumed that all staff fully understand the philosophy and practice of retreats.   For this reason, prior to retreats, many schools give particular attention to the development of staff skills in the crucial areas of small group facilitation, community-building activities and liturgy, in addition to the necessary briefings on retreat theme, program and organisation.

Evaluation

The next phase in developing an integrated retreat program is the formulation of a simple but informative evaluation process.   Retreat evaluation serves two main purposes - firstly, it provides feedback on the relevance and effectiveness of all elements of the retreat-event, and secondly, it can identify areas of the retreat experience that hold potential for further exploration or development within school pastoral and religious programs.   Some practical suggestions for retreat evaluation include:

• Evaluation proformas.   The most efficient method of gathering honest and comprehensive feedback on retreat programs is the use of an evaluation proforma distributed for completion by all staff and students soon after the retreat.   The best format for this process seems to be a simple list of all elements of the retreat experience - from venue, food and accommodation through to each major session and activity.   Students are required to rate all items using a numerical scale and then offer brief supporting comments for their opinions.   Further to this, a thorough evaluation will ask participants to nominate highlights, weaknesses and areas requiring follow-up in the retreat program under consideration.
• A second effective method of evaluation involves informal discussion with classes and staff back at school.   Religious Education classes are an obvious forum for discussion, especially if one of your goals is to link the retreat experience with the formal R.E. program;  but often the most informative feedback comes through other, quite independent channels.   Staff feedback can be similarly elusive and unpredictable, but should be sought with gentle persistence.   Again, evaluation should include some discussion of practical ways to improve the retreat experience and link it with everyday life.
• Evaluation might also involve contacting a small cross-section of parents and gathering their observations and comments on the reactions and responses of their children.   This broader perspective is always valuable, even if it only unearths concerns about cost, timing or the inadequacy of the remainder of the R.E. curriculum compared to the retreat experience.

Follow-up Strategies

The greatest challenge in the development of a fully integrated retreat program is the establishment of meaningful follow-up strategies that connect the retreat with normal school and family life after the event.   While retreats should rightly provide a heightened experience of belonging, affirmation and spiritual encounter, a responsible retreat philosophy will also recognise the need to provide students and staff with opportunities to explore and extend elements of the retreat experience that hold particular meaning or relevance for them.   Some practical suggestions for this important task of retreat follow-up include:

• The most common request from students is for another retreat or reflection day during the same year.   This becomes especially important for many Year 12 groups as they spiral towards the end of their schooling and face the pressures of exams, decisions about the future and farewell functions.   Unfortunately, the availability of time is always a major issue, but some schools manage to work around this and organise reflection days specifically geared to relevant issues such as relaxation, stress management, personal spirituality and time management.   The fields of relaxation and personal spirituality are particularly interesting and may be addressed through a variety of creative means, including meditation, massage, tai chi and craft therapy.   Even where study pressures prohibit a full day release for students or staff, some schools have organised shorter workshops in these important renewal skills, either during free periods or after school.
• An important feature of most senior retreat programs is the opportunity for reflection and reconciliation at both group and individual levels.   However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find priests who are available and familiar with the unique expressions of reconciliation often organised on retreats.   Indeed, many coordinators organise a communal reconciliation experience during retreat that is not dependent on the participation of a priest, and then organise an opportunity for individuals to attend sacramental reconciliation back at school a short time after the retreat.   This model provides the students with valuable time to digest the implications of their retreat experience and increases the chance of being able to organise a priest who has rapport with the students.
• Two suggestions for follow-up activities that involve a personal prayer response are prayer bookmarks and prayer partners.   Some schools incorporate a craft session into the retreat program where students make bookmarks that combine prayers, themes or symbols from the retreat, and generally students seem to enjoy the activity and treasure the bookmarks for some time.   The establishment of prayer partners is another effective way of extending the senses of community and prayerfulness developed during the retreat.   The pairing of students can be done in a number of ways; ranging from a mutual sign of peace during reconciliation or the Eucharist, to a creative interpretation of the Prayers of the Faithful or night prayer, or even incorporating an extra dimension into an Affirmation ritual.   This prayer connection can be revisited later during year group assemblies, homeroom prayer, reconciliation services, reflection days, examination preparations and finally, at graduation liturgies and farewell functions.
• The connection between retreats and school liturgies is very important in terms of continuity and relevance.   Themes, stories, reflections and music that have acquired significance during retreat can be used to enhance later school liturgies, especially graduation or farewell liturgies.  
• Conversely, their use in these liturgies can recover and renew the retreat memory and experience for the students.
• An important feature of many retreats is a missioning prayer or ritual that directs the students towards the future.   As part of this session, many schools invite students to reflect on the meaning of the retreat experience for their life and write a letter of dreams or resolutions for the near future.   This is particularly relevant for students in their final year of school, with the letters being gathered at the end of the retreat and either posted to students at an agreed future date or used as an element in their farewell liturgy.
• Where senior groups have interacted very closely on retreats it may be appropriate to organise further social gatherings or activities, either in small groups or as a total year group.   These activities may simply take the form of meals or entertainment, but in some situations students might even be interested in organising shared prayer or social justice activities, if only on a small scale to begin with.

     In conclusion, it is important to note that any attempt to integrate or extend the retreat experience into wider school life will ultimately depend on the openness of the students themselves.   While schools or youth ministers can provide a wide range of opportunities for reflection or development, the most important factor in the effectiveness of these activities will be the sense and depth of connectedness that exists in that particular group of individuals.

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SENIOR RETREAT PROGRAM

Ralph Kershler, St Leo’s College, Wahroonga, Sydney

Fright or flight – That is sometimes the feeling I get when I look at my diary and see that Year 12 Retreats are fast approaching.   You see, at my College we are brave enough to give our own Retreats.   I sometimes think – why go to all the bother?   Why not just engage a team?  This latter idea has its own problems.   For example, there are not so many teams around these days and, besides, some are unknown quantities.

     We have two Retreat Teams at St. Leo’s – all lay people, a mixture of marrieds and singles, young and old, Catholic and non-Catholic, all at various stages of faith development themselves.

     There always seems so much to do – letters to parents, booking venues, booking transport, staffing, setting ‘extras’ (lessons for while you are absent), budgeting, arranging for a priest, checking and re-stocking resources, going over the program (i.e. is it still relevant to the needs of the students?), student lists posted (retreats are voluntary), student list change; (wanting to be with friends), second student list posted, more changes, balance between boys and girls, more changes, balance of numbers, balance of staff... and so the list goes on!

     We have two teams and two venues for four Retreats.   The team leaders remain all week; other staff attend 2.5 days and 2 nights.   Out staffing always includes ex-students of the College.   There is never any shortage of those wishing to re-live and share with others their own retreat experiences.

     Mid-week (Wednesday morning) after the first Retreat, the leader says an emotional goodbye to students (who are now asking for week-long Retreats).   The good-byes are long and there is a sense of loss.   The bus then arrives with the next 40 students.   We have morning tea and begin all over again.   This is emotionally and physically draining, but it is amazing how the second group can be very different and in a short time I am again energised.

     At midday Friday the second Retreat ends in an emotional climax.   Students board buses, the gear is packed and we head for home and me to bed!  The following Monday it is back to a full teaching load.

     The Year 12 Retreats are built on and flow from those in Year 11 where building a sense of community is the focus.   In Year 12 the focus is more reflective, meditative and contemplative offering students an ongoing experience of communal living and the opportunity to experience something of the transcendent in themselves, in others and in the natural beauty of the environment of the Southern Highlands.   This experience, hopefully, facilitates a sense of the sacred in all things and a first step, for some, towards an understanding of wholeness or holiness of body, mind and spirit.   This is often not possible for young men and women living in our world of the 1990s.

     The Retreat experience begins when students set out, unaccompanied by staff, and travel by train to Bowral.   They are greeted at the Retreat House with morning tea and an ‘ice-breaker’ which begins the first of many special experiences.   Shoes are removed as we enter what we call our ‘sacred space’ for our Retreat Opening Ceremony.   Each participant is blessed with holy water and consecrated with oil.   The room is also consecrated for sacred use by reading a Retreat Room Blessing and lighting the Retreat candle.   Prayer partners are arranged.   The icon of Christ is displayed on the special setting in the centre of the room and various symbols are added during the course of the Retreat, ie. Bread/Wine, seeds, flowers, stones, pieces of wood.

     Then begins the first of many meditations with a relaxation, first of the body, then of the mind and, hopefully, of the spirit.   This is a moving from the world of school, home and busy-ness to an inner world of tranquillity and harmony.   These meditative experiences provide spaces for being mindful of the present moment.

     The Year 12 Retreat program gives students the opportunity, through journal writing, to get in touch with the flow of life, to reflect on their journey and their relationship with God, to enter into the beauty and symbolism of the evening prayer set in the midst of candles, perfumed air and beautiful music -- like a mystical atmosphere and experience.   This prayer focuses on the humble beginning of the grape vine, its nurturing and pruning, its need of rain and sun, its crushing and its beauty in looks and taste.   Attention is also drawn to the use of wine in celebrating key moments in life’s journey and its use in everyday life.   The prayer also reminds us that we are all called to celebrate life where we are, in the present moment, as a gift to ourself and as gifts to one another.

     The retreatants experience a very unusual morning prayer at 7.30 a.m.   The setting is outdoors in a grove of old trees.   The prayer  is an ancient American Indian prayer to honour God in the creation of mother earth.   It is accompanied by a few simple movements of Yoga and Tai Chi and is a prayer experience never forgotten by students.

     The day continues with meditation and small group work on the parable of the sower and the seed, the beatitudes, affirmations and clay modelling, all reflecting upon key events, persons and images in life -- this suggests the sacramental dimension.

     The final evening of the retreat focuses on the need for reconciliation and healing in our lives, with each other and with God.

     The setting is special –a room not previously used during the Retreat, sometimes the chapel.   All seating, is removed and candles are placed in strategic places.   Music is carefully chosen -- a mix of classical, modern mood, ambient – sung and orchestral.   Students are prepared beforehand as to what to expect and how to use our user-friendly ‘stations’.   They bring with them rugs and pillows and participate in silence (which is always observed).   They enter the candle-lit room as the music is played and position themselves in an area of personal space.   Then what I call ‘the magic’ begins.   It is interesting to observe the students enter into the spirit of the evening, some taking the opportunity to sit and gaze at the candle-lit collection of icons and others lying around the candle-lit reading circle dipping into reading material they would possibly never have read otherwise.   The perfumed water and towel are available to wash and wipe hands as an act of reconciliation and healing and the writing table is used by those wishing to write down anything about their lives for which they require healing or any other prayer or request they wish to make.   These are later burnt at the Eucharist.

     In between using the various ‘stations’ students simply think/reflect or sleep.   Many take the opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation from the priest or approach their teachers for a chat or personal prayer.   After approximately 2 hours, the evening culminates with a blessing of the Blessed Sacrament followed by supper and bed.   The centrepiece of all this activity is the exposition of the Eucharist with cloths, flowers, plants, incense and mediation cushions.   The Retreat concludes the next morning with Eucharist, writing in each others’ diaries, swapping prayer cards and the final prayer.

     Why are our Retreats so successful?  Why do they work for us?  There is the possibility that this style of Retreat would not work with the clientele of other schools.   We are a typical diocesan systemic school.   Our students are probably no worse or no better than those in similar schools.   However, if I could pinpoint anything, it would be that we have for many years been gradually developing a tradition of spirituality that seems to tap into a need or hunger that exists in young people today.   One area of special interest is meditation – not simply lying on the floor and relaxing, but meditation in the truest sense of the word.   Students are taught the methods and given the opportunity to practise and experience some degree of silence in their lives.   In the busy-ness of today’s “rat race” this, for some, is a remarkable and surprising first.   We guide our students in the practice of meditation by using icons, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, music (including Gregorian Chant which is popular), the Rosary, sacred chant, the Prayer of the Church and the list goes on.   The flow on from this is that ex-students attend our Retreats and request and attend evening meditation courses which are conducted for parents and senior students.   As a result of this (I think), we have a regular group of students attending the before-school Eucharist, an abundance of Ministers of the Eucharist, readers, altar servers and a large St. Vincent de Paul Conference.

     Perhaps other schools are having the same experiences we are.   I hope so.

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KNOWING MY SPIRIT:  the foundational work of retreat staff

Leonard Blahut, Sydney.

Retreat work, as with all forms of ministry, is an affair with the Spirit of God.

As one dares to put the microscope over the historical development of youth retreat leadership by teachers, what emerges for me is the growing importance for leaders in this work to cooperate with the Spirit of God:-  to keep risking an openness of heart that allows, firstly, for the development of reverent, ongoing self-awareness;  secondly, for an appropriate honing of consciousness of the subtle ways the Spirit moves within, and calls forth, the human heart.   Once this is under way in ourselves as retreat ministers and co-operators, we are then in a better position to foster the retreat enterprise.

     An aspect of all forms of ministry – be it parenthood, parish worker, school teacher, retreat worker, sports coach - is the acknowledgment that the Holy Spirit is the primary player in our efforts and aspirations.   In authentic ministry, we spare no expense to come to know that player in our lives.   As a retreat worker with youth for a number of years, I realised I had to enter this field of KNOWING with the young retreatants.   The more I was reluctant to do so, the more the attitude of accomplishing a good retreat plan prevailed.   I was not seeing “retreat”, I was seeing “success”.   As I think of the reaction of my colleagues to the invitation to take the more vulnerable stance, I can see how such a stance may suggest a form of absurdity of “going beyond the call of duty”.   Yet vitality and the integrity of retreat experiences do hinge on the preparedness for the retreat worker to do work on one’s self – to know one’s own unique spirit and the God who is in constant communication with it.   The question I would like to seriously pose is:  how well is the retreat worker looking after her or himself as part of the retreat process?   In the panic and urgency of knowing how to  go about ‘doing’ retreat work, how much attention are we giving to the linchpin in the process – the retreat leaders and co-leaders?

Attending to Oneself as Retreat Worker

In a society of info-technology and super-speed delivery of messages, we are unconsciously prone to having that same kind of tempo woven in all the ways we behave.   It is of disconcerting proportion when the retreat worker cannot disentangle sufficiently from the clutches of such a tempo.   It requires hard work ,determination and commitment:

• to say ‘no’ to facile thoughts, tendencies and a rush for productivity – all that blinds us to the ‘unbelievable’ and invisible moments of spiritual awakening;
• to have the belief that we can experience a looking at, a hearing of, and a being attentive to, the Spirit of God in our active life.

I have come to recognise the miraculous nature of good retreat work;   it asks a lot of our personal belief.   We need to enter this realm with our students in a personal and trusting way a la retreat sessions.   Challenging?  Yes; Idealistic?  Yes;  Possible?  Yes.   It has happened too often for me to believe otherwise, no matter how messy or unorthodox some sessions have appeared.

     Retreat occasions have been for me times of chaos, touching moments, healing, bedlam.   To be challenged to make a retreat relevant after a year 10 night rampage of stone throwing - where was God in all that?   How do you proceed?   It certainly served an occasion to take steps to go to the heart of the matter with the students.   Retreats can be times of honest dialogue and confrontation.   Herein lies the stuff of reality that would need to be reflected upon rather than take offence.   In contrast, on another occasion, to witness a Year 10 student express her relationship with Jesus in front of 40 others in a negative non- ‘party line’ fashion, and later to hear her confess privately how free she felt after, was an event that helped ease the self doubt of my effectiveness.

     Attentiveness to the Spirit safeguards the integrity of the spiritual formation process.   It obviates the likelihood of reducing the retreat to what the retreatants may perceive as an extra religion lesson, a corrective crusade, and/or a well-intentioned convivial excursion.   Retreats are a time of reflection and special grace – when the human heart takes the time to review its relationship with God.   Too often the adults leading in retreat settings are too readily engaged in viewing the retreatant’s issues and experiences from an adult vantage point – by way of projection and quick-fix.   That is one sure way to nullify meaning of the young person’s experience without knowing it.   It is the issues of the students’ deeper life that must come into focus, not the visions or images of the adult’s world.   It is an art form for adults to embrace their own world-view so that it undergirds for the time being a genuine process of listening to the cries of the young heart.

     My own experience with school faculty and staff retreats, as well as what is heard on the grapevine, suggests that a majority of educated adults have a significant difficulty with the experience of quiet times and solitude.   This fact spotlights the urgency for retreat workers to ask themselves the question – how well do I sit with times of solitary reflection?   Herein begins the discipline of coming to know the murmurings of the Spirit.

     Students at a retreat want to be accepted, with a story to tell;  to have their relationships valued and to hear and feel the newness of these relationships.   The facilitator’s art of listening pilots the retreat in that direction, with the ability to recognise, endure and respond non-imposingly to the moments of pain and subtle yearnings of the retreatants.   [This becomes difficult with groups over 45].   Moments of this kind are the gifts of retreat that we ‘unknowingly’ look for and treasure as retreat facilitators.

Impact Upon the Retreat Process

Changing ‘hats’ from being teacher to retreat worker is quite a step in itself so that the retreatants can embark on a journey distinctly different from that of the school.   Transitions such as this can be daunting.   It is easier by and large to get some maths or English “done” than having to make oneself vulnerable to the likes of some of my students.   The risk of vulnerability kicks into gear at this point.   Not so much that I must abandon good management skills; “tell it all” when sharing in small groups;  or “throw away” all faith language for the day;  but that I must be ready to recognise my vulnerability, and let my words and planning come appropriately from there.

     In summary, when approaching a retreat, some thoughts come to mind that need to be confronted;

*        when setting out the goals for the day, can I be flexible and humble enough to let go of some of my plans when I notice what the students are wanting to deal with or what is a concern for them, and appropriately give ‘air-play’ time to it?   Or will I be intent on covering all my plans?

*        will I make allowance for space in the day where it is not filled up with words so that the Holy Spirit can manoeuvre without evident productivity on my part?   Or will I make sure that the retreatants are kept very busy?

*        can I create a mix of fun and serious stuff?

*        can I give the retreatants scope to comply or resist my invitations to reflect and encounter God (by way of the activities planned);   and in so doing, encourage them to be aware and own the choice they make?   Or will I keep an extra hard eye on the one who is always trouble?

*        will I pray for the belief that something good can be happening during the day out of my vulnerable efforts even though I am feeling dismayed?

     The thoughts above are a checklist of what level of control is needed to steer the retreat experience.   The retreat team dares, as a higher measure of trust, to give scope to the student participants (horror horror) to participate freely in the activities.   The mood created will indicate to the retreatants the sincerity of staff on this score.   Without this, the responses coming forth will have a hollow ring to them.   The teachers present will need to drop their defensiveness and demonstrate a mindful embrace to the genuine responses students are giving; to have that time and disposition of heart that sees behind the words and expressions.   I can think of not too many more worthwhile occasions when honest dialogue and reflection can go on within the student body.   I emphasise that it is not issues that matter but the expression of the personal inner stirrings of the retreatant.   I realise abuse of such a privilege can take place.   That is the risk.   It is a time to raise the consciousness of equality and respect amongst all present.   Should the retreat team come to recognise a wanting element of their own selves in the course of the retreat, so be it.   It is not an occasion for problematic solutions but good reflection.   Neither let the retreat be an occasion for moral crusading or disciplinary grandstanding.   In brief, the above all amounts to how well I am prepared to see the power of the Spirit working in my own life.

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