Encounter Retreat 2005

One of the most significant events in the school year for Year 11 Trinity students is the Christian Service program, ?Sharing Gifts?. Every student commits himself to working for four days.

Although doing the actual service work is at the heart of our Christian Service program, accomplishing the work itself is not the course?s central purpose. Empowering students to grow as people of service from a Christian faith perspective is the program?s mission ? quite a broader goal than simply having them complete a service project. Such growth includes the following:

• becoming aware of one?s personal gifts, needs,values and dreams,
• understanding various people and issues in the community; and identifying possible responses to them,
• reflecting on the service dimension of Christian faith and on God?s purpose for one?s life.

The Encounter Retreat provides an opportunity for each student to reflect on his recent experience of Christian Service, and to share some of those reflections with his peers. During the Retreat each boy learns more about what some of his peers did, and how they feel about what happened, both externally and internally.

?Service work? seems like a wonderful idea, capable of building character in students as well as meeting others? needs. But its value and meaning is greatly affected by what the participants bring to it. That?s why it?s so important that each boy participates fully in the reflection component of the program, namely the Encounter Retreat.

PRAYER OF ST. THERESA OF AVILA
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which to look at Christ's compassion for the world;

Yours are the feet with which his is to go about doing good;
And yours are the hands with which he is to bless people now.

~ St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)