March 2, 2012
I had heard it time and again, a kind of refrain in my conversations with alumni: "Junior Retreat was the most memorable and important experience of my time at Good Counsel."
I've been on plenty of school retreats in 30+ years in Catholic education. There has been the occasional dud when the mix of people, location, and focus just didn't work. Most, though, have been refreshing, a break from the routines of school and a good and necessary time to reflect. Nice, but seldom rising to "most memorable and important experience" status.
I was eager then to see for myself how three days at the O'Dwyer Retreat House in Sparks could prove to be the transformative experience I had heard so much about.
The Junior Retreat delivers. Although I have not signed a blood oath not to disclose the structure of the retreat, I'm not going to reveal any of the specifics of the format. It just works. The human heart longs for love and understanding that our fast-paced, arms-length, tech-saturated world can make difficult to attain. The Junior Retreat speaks to that yearning. With plus or minus 60 persons gathered in His name, the Holy Spirit is powerfully present.
I see two principal reasons why the experience resonates for students both in the moment and, in many cases, years after. First, it's the adult leadership. The "Feb Fire" retreat I attended was directed by Campus Minister and Religion teacher Don Dalphonse and Chaplain and Religion teacher Fr. Barry Gross. They were supported by Dr. Eleanor Donaghue, Mrs. Kim Hager, Mr. Bill Mooney and me. Don and Fr. Barry have 65 Good Counsel years between them. That's commitment! Their faith, their detailed planning, their clear communication, their nuanced understanding of situations, and their love for the students and the school constitute the stable foundation upon which the scaffold of retreat is built.
Yet, at an operational level, we adults tended to blend into the background. The main reason I believe Junior Retreat is such a success is found in the commitment, talent, support and generosity of the senior leaders – "See how they love one another." They put in hours of training together over many months. Each delivers a talk. Each runs a small group of four or five students. They do the heavy lifting. In a climate permeated by the Xaverian virtues of trust and compassion, it is clear how much they care about providing an opportunity for the juniors to step back from the world and examine the state of things – self, family, God.
Two weeks afterward, I'm only just shaking off the cold I picked up. What I have no desire to shake off is the intense and exhausting practical demonstration of the unique value of a Good Counsel education and the clear affirmation of our mission that are the heart of Junior Retreat: "Our Lady of Good Counsel High School is committed to preparing students with diverse learning abilities for the challenges of life ... and embody(ing) the Xaverian values of humility, trust, zeal, compassion, and simplicity upon which the school is founded."
Can I go again next year?