Last Friday, BSM seniors took a trip to St. Patrick’s Church in Edina for their senior retreat. Seniors were able to bond with classmates, play team building games, and spend time in prayer together for the last time before graduation.
Retreats have many different reactions from all students. Senior Jack Anderson had mixed emotions about his time on the retreat. “I thought there were moments that were pretty fun, but as a whole, we were in the same room sitting at the same tables, so it got a little bit boring and repetitive,” Anderson said.
Director of Faith and Mission, Nick Brady, runs and plans all the retreats at BSM. His goal for this retreat was to create a space where the seniors could be vulnerable. “There is a lot of social pressure in high school and in any age group that makes being vulnerable a real challenge. Yet, being vulnerable and authentic is so important in order to form meaningful connections with others. I would encourage seniors to lean into the awkward and be open to authentically sharing oneself in conversations and experiences with peers,” Brady said.
I thought there were moments that were pretty fun, but as a whole, we were in the same room sitting at the same tables, so it got a little bit boring and repetitive
— Jack Anderson
The senior retreat is also infamous for seniors getting their freshman year letters back. In freshman year theology classes, students write a letter to their future senior selves. The school stores them until the students’ senior year retreat, where they are able to open the letter they wrote, four years later. “I really enjoyed getting to open my freshman letter and seeing what I wrote four years ago. I have changed a lot,” senior Sydney Katter said.
Brady also enjoyed getting to see seniors open their letters from their freshman selves. “I distinctly remember many of the seniors receiving their letters from 9th grade, opening them up and really just enjoying being able to see back into what they were thinking in 9th grade. So many of the seniors also took the letter as an opportunity to share an excerpt from the letter with their friends. This is a great testament to the importance of self-reflection and served as a tangible way for seniors to do that at the retreat,” Brady said.
Seniors also had the opportunity to gather in the chapel together. They were able to pray and participate in singing worship songs. “I really enjoyed singing with everyone in the chapel. It was fun having everyone participate,” Anderson said.