On Friday October 22nd, 2010 Gr. 9 students enrolled in Religion for first semester attended a full day Retreat at St. John’s Catholic Church hosted by Positive Gear. It was a wonderful day filled with activities and spiritual nourishment. The day began with students gathering in the Church hall for some early morning ice breakers. There was a buzz of excitement as students shared a laugh or two and waited to see what the Retreat had in store for them.

At roughly 10am students silently made their way to the Church and were led in a teaching Mass by Fr. Obinna. The Mass was a terrific learning tool as students were able to have a conversation with Fr. Obinna as he explained different parts of the Mass and the reasons behind the rituals. Many students voiced that it was one of the most informative parts of the day! Yes, believe it! The Mass was a hit for our Gr. 9 youth at Neil McNeil.

Immediately following the teaching Mass students were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in Spiritan tradition. They were blessed to have Fr. John, a Spiritan priest, come speak to them. He led them in a rich history lesson of the Spiritans and Neil McNeil High School. This was followed by a power point highlighting the founding members of the Spiritan community and what it meant to be a Neil Boy.

After a filling lunch, the afternoon was filled with ice breakers and games that built upon the theme “From Leadership to Discipleship – Brothers to Brothers”. The message was that it was not simply enough to do but as important was the way it was done; a servant disposition very much needed. Along with this message, students were led through many different activities by Michael Masci and James Costa, founding members of Positive Gear, and began understanding that spiritual growth was not simply done in isolation but in community; it was a perfect way to build brotherhood and to work on becoming servant disciples.

The overall Retreat was a positive experience for many students. It was a day for students to gather and reflect taking a few moments to understand that their faith journey was not in isolation but within brotherhood. This message was reflected perfectly and summed up by Jesus when he said “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me”.