Retreats

Freshman retreat is rooted in Goal 4, “the building of community as a Christian value.” Our desire for each of our girls is that they may find, nurture, and develop a personal and active faith in God. Animated by the teachings of the Church, we firmly believe that this is best done in community. Our priority for this retreat, therefore, is to help build that community. We do this through communication activities, faith sharing, confidence building opportunities, play, and teamwork situations.

Sophomore retreat focuses on Goal 5, “personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.” Our hope for this retreat is that the girls leave with increased self-awareness and self-confidence, a raised awareness of what true discernment entails, and the courage to stand up for what is right. We provide the space for this by creating an environment in which the students can come to better know their teachers and themselves as multifaceted, caring, and “real” people. This is then supported by activities and discussions that invite the girls to take stock of their own lives, encounter their peers on a deeper level, and explore their God-given desires.

Junior retreat is deeply rooted in the social justice values that many of our students hold as stated in Goal 3, “a social awareness that impels to action.” Our primary hope—and goal—is that this retreat achieves both the social awareness aspect as well as the call to action. On the retreat the girls are invited, sometimes implicitly and other times explicitly, to contemplate identity, community, and ultimately the great value (and challenge) of solidarity.

Senior retreat is an overnight retreat that is rooted in Goal 1, “a personal and active faith in God.” This capstone experience simultaneously allows students to reflect upon their time at Duchesne and embolden them to step into their future with courage, confidence, and competence.

This afternoon retreat provides the space and opportunity for students and their parent(s) to check-in, share their personal and active faith, and connect to others.

Named for Madeleine Sophie’s practice of plunging down into the well spring that is the Holy Spirit to fill her bucket, this overnight retreat provides a space of sacred silence for students and faculty to step back from the busy bustle of everyday life, and focus on their interior relationship with the Spirit. On this retreat students will have a significant amount of free time for prayer and reflection, as well as several meetings with spiritual directors.

This retreat is unique from the others in that it is an individual retreat, and can be done at any point throughout the year. Using inspiration and imagery from our chapel, a student is invited to journey through several moments in scripture to encounter Christ.

This overnight retreat invites students to reflect on various encounters of Jesus and his apostles, and how they are discerning their own call in the 21st century to follow Christ.

This day retreat takes place at Fontenelle forest. During the retreat students will have the opportunity to explore their faith in relationship to the created world around them, and share it among peers.