At Saint Louis U. High, the school encourages its students to cultivate a spiritual life and to live out that very famous command of St. Ignatius, “find God in all things.” From reflecting during morning prayers to praying during confessions in the chapel to attending theology classes, students have had many opportunities to deepen their faith lives throughout their four-year tenure at SLUH. As the final semester comes to a close, Campus Ministry during the past two weeks has offered students one last chance to participate in a retreat before the end of the year.

Over the last two weeks, six retreats—the Junior Wilderness Retreat, the Senior Wilderness Retreat, Junior Retreat, Junior Kairos, Sophomore Retreat, and the Manresa—have come and gone, providing students with an enriching spiritual experience where students could find God in new ways.

The first of the final quarter and the first to kick off the series of retreats was the Manresa Retreat at the La Salle Retreat center in Wildwood. Diverging from more traditional retreats, this four-day experience was a silent retreat and based on St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises. Retreatants meditated for an hour on scripture readings four times a day, finding their own internal feelings.

The Sophomore Retreat started after school on Thursday this past week and continued into Friday afternoon. The sophomores heard keynote talks from English teachers Adam Cruz and David Callon in addition to listening to a panel of teachers who have had children graduate high school.

“We need a time and a space to be present to each other and to God, a time to stop and look around at the abundant blessings we have received and set goals for ourselves,” said Campus Minister Simonie Anzalone. “I hope the sophomores were able to learn more about themselves, about their relationship with friends, about their relationship with family members, and ultimately about their relationship with God.”

Senior Aidan Byrne, one of the Senior leaders at the retreat, believed that this retreat in particular was a good way to step back, see through the daily distractions of life, and see God.

“They just give you this period of time where you can forget about school for a while, you can forget about all the stresses and responsibilities of life, and you just get to focus on your growth and development with God,” said Byrne. “They had time to reflect on where they were as sophomores, where they were going, and what they wanted to do with themselves for the next two years while they're still here.”

Differing from the other retreats, the two Wilderness Retreats allowed students to not only get away from their daily routines but also to remove themselves from civilization. Camping out in the wilderness for three days, the students were able to find God in nature. The retreants went on two long hikes and had time to reflect on the beautiful creation around them.

“This retreat was something new, something different from the other retreats that I had been on, Freshman and Sophomore retreats,” said senior Andrew Bergman. “I have never spent a lot of time out in the wilderness. This was my first time camping, but I really enjoyed the experience.”

Junior Kairos, coveted as one of the best retreats SLUH offers, gave the juniors a chance to connect with one another before they enter into their final year of high school, allowing them the ability to strengthen their brotherly bonds as they transition into the leaders of the school. 

“I think it was a good retreat that some of the senior talks were very good. The senior and adult leaders did a good job and things ran pretty smoothly,” said Hill. “I think the students definitely got some important graces. They came away very much consoled.”

Junior Retreat, much like Junior Kairos, offered the juniors time to reflect on their relationship with God and with each other as they continue on their journey through high school.

“The movement of the Junior Retreat is that the retreatant knows that he is beloved by God, that he is a beloved son of God, and that he should trust in that love,” said English teacher Michael Mohr, S.J. “I think that's really what I like about the junior retreat.”

In a year where everything seems to have changed, the persistence of students to find God in all things remains the same. From beautiful nature scenes to reflective journals, God truly has been with us through the entirety of our journey.