Following are reflections from two students who attended the Confirmation Retreat Day at the Don Bosco Retreat Centre in Lysterfield.
To prepare for Confirmation, the Year 6 students (from Our Lady’s Primary School, Wattle Park) went to Lysterfield on Friday, August 19 with students from Our Holy Redeemer and other schools. The bus ride was long and exhausting, which gave us time to enjoy many conversations.
First, we listened to the people as they sang to us, and then they told us each a story of their faith. The stories were about how their faith helped them through some of the hard times in their lives. We sang some more songs, some of which were written by them. Most of these songs were about how we can go to God if we are stuck or lonely, and how He will always be there for us.
Then we had lunch. We ate in the dining hall, and then we had the choice to go outside or sit inside. After eating, we went back into the hall and split into three groups.
In the first rotation, my group went into the chapel and looked at a reading from the Gospel of Luke. We highlighted the words or phrases that stood out to us and then drew a picture in the background.
In the second rotation, my group went into the back room and looked at pictures. We shared whether we saw a need, and if we saw someone doing something about it, as Mary Mackillop told us to do. There were some really in-depth responses, that lots of thinking outside of the box.
In the third rotation, my group went back into the hall. There we were writing about the Gift of the Holy Spirit that we wanted the most. What we felt we needed the most was written on a piece of paper that looked like a flame to represent the Holy Spirit, and we put it on the wall to display.
Then it was time to eat again. Once again we ate for a little while in the dining room, and then we had the choice to either stay inside or play outside.
Finally, we climbed the hill. Because it had rained a little during the day, the hill was muddy, and we couldn’t tell the difference between cowpat and mud. Trudging up the hill, our shoes got coated in mud and who knows what else. As we climbed the hill, we noticed that there were cows currently in the paddock we were in, and who were staring at us. Eventually, we made it up to the top of the hill. Everyone sat on rocks, looking out over the farm.
Down the hill we went, all the way back to the bus. We all collected our things, and jumped onto the bus. On the way back, the conversations were even louder than on the way there, as people wanted to talk about what had happened during our day, and how much fun we all had.
By Leena
At Lysterfield we learnt about the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. We had a live performance where we sang songs about how the Holy Spirit lifts you up and makes you a better person. Then we did three different activities where we shared a bit about ourselves and chose what gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit we would like to receive. We also read a scripture passage together in the chapel about the Holy Spirit’s promise and how it is always with us. Then some of the band members told us how the Holy Spirit came to them and gave them confidence in themselves. We then climbed the big mountain and looked across the lush green hills and sang a song about the Holy Spirit. I felt calm and at ease at Lysterfield and I felt a sense of community.
By Jack
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David Rush says:
As grandparents we look forward to Friday evening