Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,
In response to the challenging COVID-19 circumstances of our time, the Campus Ministry team spent time during the summer researching, discussing, and discerning various options for the retreat program. We are excited to explore new spiritual growth opportunities during the 2020-21 school year, since the ever-evolving health code protocols limit our ability to run our traditional retreats.
Campus Ministry staff will be working with Religious Studies teachers and other Student Life staff to invite 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students to participate in a variety of reflection, community-building, and spiritual formation activities in their religion classes and on Flex Days throughout the year. Rather than setting aside entire retreat days, we will integrate spiritual growth and formation into the weekly lives of the students with numerous smaller-scale activities. We look forward to the opportunity to provide these students with more traditional retreat experiences again next year when we are able to return to a more typical school year.
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Our Senior Class is in a particularly unique situation. They cannot look forward to returning to traditional retreats at Carondelet next year. Therefore, the Campus Ministry Team has created something entirely new and special just for the Class of 2021: the Journey Retreat. We are excited to kick off the first of nine Journey Retreats in November!
Please understand that the Journey Retreat is different from Kairos. The modifications we need to make to retreats in order to make them “COVID-friendly” compromise our ability to provide the same depth of experience and connection as Kairos offers. We know that not having Kairos will be very disappointing to our seniors and we share their disappointment. We are confident, however, that the Journey Retreat will provide a unique and meaningful experience that incorporates the new social distancing realities. Although we will not be able to be as physically close to one another at the retreat, we have created an experience that will allow students to share their favorite memories from high school, reflect deeply on ways they have grown and consider how they will continue their journey after graduation. It will be a fun, inspiring, and powerful experience made just for them!
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Journey Retreat Details
All Journey retreats will be held Sunday-Tuesday at Carondelet High School and San Damiano Retreat in Danville. The first day (Sunday) will be at school and the others will be at the retreat center. This will allow students to spend time on campus, sharing their memories, in addition to getting away to the beauty and peace of a retreat center.
The Journey Retreat is not an overnight retreat, but will be full of opportunities to connect with one another throughout each of the three days. Although students will not spend the night, they will have lots of time to build relationships, participate in small group discussions, express their creativity, pray and celebrate together. Students will arrive for the retreat each morning at 10:00 AM and return home each night after retreat activities have finished for the day. All students will need to have the appropriate parent consent forms, driving and insurance documents, etc. before attending. Details to follow.
Since we will be required to have fewer students attend each retreat, nine different Journey dates will be offered.
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Dates & Registration
Nov. 1 - 3, 2020
Nov. 29 - Dec. 1, 2020
Jan. 10 - 12, 2021
Jan. 24 - 26, 2021
Jan. 31 - Feb 3, 2021
Feb. 21 - 23, 2021
Mar 14 - 16, 2021
Mar 28 - 30, 2021
April 11 - 13, 2021
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If we are still in Distance Learning during a student’s Journey Retreat date, the school cohort policy will apply. This means that if a student is involved in another Student Life or Specialized Support cohort, a “cooling off” period may be required before and after the retreat, during which time students can participate in their other cohort virtually.
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If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Edie Payne, Director of Campus Ministry.
Though this year has presented us with many challenges, we are confident and excited about the retreat we have been able to create for our seniors. We look forward to accompanying them on their Journey retreat and witnessing their care for one another and their resilience during tough times. We hope and pray that you and your families remain healthy and that our school can continue to make an impact on the lives of the young women entrusted to our care so that they may, in turn, go and make an impact on the world!
In Peace and Goodness,
The Campus Ministry Team
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Carondelet High School l 1133 Winton Drive l Concord, CA 94518 l CarondeletHS.org
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