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First-year students “Catch the Spirit”

Posted on Oct 26, 2009

To go on retreat is to move away from the ordinary events of every day. Members of the Class of 2013 did just that on October 21. It was a day of firsts for Lauralton Hall students. First-year students experienced their first Lauralton Hall retreat which was led by their peers, juniors and seniors representing Campus Ministry and Peer Mentors. This was the first time a retreat was led by students, rather than an outside retreat team.

The theme,  “Catch the Spirit of Lauralton,” was shared by seniors Olivia D’Atri, Katie Garvey, Caroline Holguin, Elise Kapitancek, Emily Nichols, Rebecca Rego and Amanda Rodrigues, along with juniors Emily Devaney, MJ McGrath and Maggie Mellott. Nicole Ciccia, ’11 and Shannon McCarthy, ’10 were guest speakers.

The school’s mission statement was the basis for the theme: The Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall, is a Catholic college preparatory school founded in 1905 by the Sisters of Mercy. Lauralton Hall’s unique mission is to foster a community atmosphere enriched by the Mercy tradition and to educate young women to pursue knowledge, recognize truth and respond to the needs of others.

Student leaders addressed the topics of friendship, academics, faith and community, using witness talks to share with the first-year students their personal experiences at Lauralton Hall and how their faith led them to deeper friendships with God and others. The retreat leaders spoke about how the strong sense of community led them to develop friendships which enriched their lives, wanting the first-year students to realize as they begin their high school years how important it is to be inclusive, open and kind to all members of their class. The retreat team also led small group discussions in which first-year students were encouraged to tell stories about their first month at Lauralton and to ask the retreat leaders for advice.

In the closing prayer service, “Let’s Stick Together,” each first-year student was given a stick which she positioned to help form a huge cross as a reminder of how much Jesus loves us.

The experience was well received by the students who came away with better knowledge of their class as well as greater appreciation for each other.


 



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