Monday 1 October 2007

Opening Retreat

Happy Feast of the Little Way! The students have arrived, and are slowly settling into their new home, and new community. Mirela and Jenny arrived on Friday afternoon, and were greeted by Allen who arrived on 15th September from China. Teresa, Anthony and Marcus arrived on Saturday ... and we are just waiting for Edna to arrive! This year there is a student community of 7, from 6 different countries. All come from ranging backgrounds ... and you will get to know more about them and their lives as the year continues on. Today the students met Father Matt Blake, as well as two of their Spiritual Companions. Spiritual Companions are a married couple that spends time with a student and walks with them on their journey through the school year. They introduce them to married life and love, exposing them to another way of serving God through one's vocation. Father Matt Blake is the Chaplain of the School and leads the retreats for the students. He is the students' Spritual Director and also leads Spiritual Conferences with the students every fortnight. Father Matt began the 3-day silent retreat this afternoon with evening prayer and a meditation. Meditations and Spiritual Direction will continue in the coming days as the students open their hearts to God's plan for them this year. Please pray for them as they are in silence ... and thats always a mouth full to keep in!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I wish all the students a great year and many prayers!

Jane

My quote of month!:

"Women have lost touch with the true source of beauty, because they're bombarded daily with images and messages that tell them that emphasizing certain portions of their bodies makes them beautiful. What needs to happen is a steady re-education about beauty -- and not just for women. Lots of women are dressing in the way they think will attract men. And they're usually right ... but it's not the kind of attraction they really want, deep down."