Retreat for eighth-grade Catholic School students focuses on courage, compassion and connection

IC photo/Laura Vallejo

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Eighth-grade students from the 11 Catholic middle schools in Utah met for a day-long retreat on April 17.

HOLLADAY — Hundreds of eighth-grade students from the 11 Catholic middle schools in Utah gathered for a retreat on April 17 at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Holladay. The theme of the retreat was “It’s going to be alright.”

Bishop Oscar A. Solis celebrated the opening Mass. “What a wonderful moment for young people to gather as a faith community,” he said as he welcomed the students.

Acknowledging that God was present that day among the gathered students, he said, “With eyes of faith we encounter the living God in our midst. ... God is with us and our hearts are filled with joy.”

“I want you to feel the joy of God’s presence in our celebration,” he said, and asked those gathered to join the choir in singing and praising God.  

“A song is an expression of the great emotion that lives in our hearts,” he said.

Emphasizing that having a voice is a “gift from God,” Bishop Solis encouraged the students to use their voices, and to put their talents and gifts to use in praising the Lord. “God gives you the intelligence; use it. God gives you the grace of the voice; sing loud and praise to the Lord.”  

Speaking to the students, Bishop Solis said that no one is perfect, but that is no cause for despair. “People make boo boos sometimes, but we have a loving and forgiving God.”

At the end of the celebration, he thanked each of the people present for being there that special day. “This is a beautiful manifestation of who you are, the Catholic schools, the heart of our Catholic education.”

The students should develop a devotion to the Mass and to the Holy Eucharist, he said. “Whenever you have a chance, go to Mass so you can experience the encounter with the living and saving presence of Jesus in our lives,” he said.

Following the Mass, the students went from the church to the parish hall, where peer ministers from the three Catholic high schools guided the first activity of the day. Each eighth-grader was asked to create a cube describing with an image what the words courage, connection and compassion meant for them. They also were to say what they wanted to get out of the retreat.

Peri Flanagan, the faith formation coordinator for Utah Catholic Schools who recently became the director of the diocesan Office of Faith Formation, welcomed the students, as did Mark Longe, who has been superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools since 2015.

The eighth-grade retreat had taken place annually when Longe was principal of St. Vincent de Paul School, he said. Then it was replaced by an eighth-grade Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Now they have returned to having the retreat; this is the second that has taken place since Longe has been in charge of the schools.

“This is a special day to get all our eighth-grade students together and to give our high school peer ministers leadership experiences,” Longe said.

The retreat offered three rotations. The first considered the Bible verse Matthew 10:29 – “So, don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows” and, using the word “courage,” the eight-graders were encouraged to tell stories about themselves.

In addition, the peer ministers read letters that they had written to their eighth-grade selves.

“I can tell you know that you have survived being a teenager,” read one of the letters. “You have been able to overcome many challenges, and you have discovered who you are. You are a brave, intelligent, caring person, and God has never left you alone.”

The eighth-graders then wrote a letter to themselves about what they were feeling, and added something that they wanted to let go of. Among the things they wrote were “being scared to talk in public,” “not feeling happy,” and “not being able to have friends.” The papers these were written on were folded and thrown into a burning pit.

The second rotation centered on the Bible verse “You are my beloved in whom I’m wonderful pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

Here the eighth-graders focused on the word “compassion.”

The third rotation was based on John 15:5 – “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Here the eighth-graders worked on the word “connection,” and reflected on what it meant to be connected with someone or something.

“I know I am connected to my friends in school because we share many hours of the day together,” one eighth-grader said.

Meaningful connections are important to be able to thrive emotionally, physically and intellectually, the peer ministers said, pointing out that communicating through technology does not usually form true connections with other people.

“Just because we are plugged in it doesn’t mean that we feel seen and heard,” they told the eighth-graders, and encouraged them to talk to each other and share their thoughts.

The students were encouraged to write a word that they wished would describe them the best when they are in their senior year of high school.