Theology Department

Retreats at Judge are part of the Religion/Theology curriculum and fall under the umbrella of Campus Ministry. It is the responsibility of the Campus Minister to organize and facilitate one retreat per grade level each year at Judge. Participation in retreats is required by all students regardless of their Faith tradition and every effort is made to make these retreats inclusive of all.

PURPOSE: The Catholic Faith has a long history of encouraging and developing retreats. Traditionally, retreats are a time to "strip away" outside influences so that those on the retreat can be more fully focussed on God. Historically, retreats began with the advent of monasticism. After St. Benedict wrote his famous "Rule" for monastic living, religious men and women entered a way of living that resembled that of a "permanent retreat". Monks lived in communities where all of their time was devoted to working and praying in such a way as to be completely removed from all outside influences. Non religious people (Catholics who were not monks) would visit monasteries for education (spiritual or temporal) and for solitude but would not stay to live permanently. This retreat "tradition" has remained with us until today and is the model we try to emulate here at Judge. In the middle ages, retreats became less popular in many respects as did monasticism in general. However, the idea and practice of retreats was revitalized in the 16th Century when St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus (known today as the order of the Jesuits). He wrote his famous "Spiritual Exercises" which all members of his order were required to practice and the retreat was an opportunity to develop and practice these difficult principles.

Today, many monasteries still exist. Locally, here in Salt Lake, we have a monastery where Trappist Monks live and work and only a few hours north in Southern Idaho there is a Benedictine Monastery called The Monastery of the Ascension. If you would like to see what a modern day monastery looks like, you can visit this link: www.idahomonks.org. Our Campus Minister at Judge is an oblate of the Monastery of the Ascension.

While we do not "retreat" into a monastery for our Judge retreats, we do try to create an environment at our retreats that is conducive to spiritual growth and free from outside distractions. We want the teens to be able to "get away from it all" for a day and focus on spiritual realities and their relationship with God. To do this we hold all of our retreats off campus at neighboring churches or other locations.

ACTIVITIES: Our retreats are full of many different activities including prayer, singing, games, small group and large group discussions, reading, journaling and silent reflection time. All of our retreats do not include all of these activities but all of our retreats do include some of these activities.

THEMES: All of our retreats have a specific theme with the exception of the Senior retreat. They are as follows.

Freshman Retreat: God, Family and Friends. (This retreat focusses on the relationships in our lives. It stresses the importance of our relationships with God, our family and our friends.)

Sophomore Retreat: Relationships/Morality. (This retreat celebrates the differences between guys and girls. We discuss healthy teen relationships and moral decision making principles.)

Junior Retreat: Vocations "Where am I headed in Life". (The junior retreat is an opportunity for teens to reflect on where they have been and where they are going. It doesn't seek to answer the question of "what am I going to do when I grow up", only to help teens get some clarity and peace in their lives so that they can see clearly as they make decisions about where they will go after their senior year.)

Senior Retreat: There is no set theme for the senior retreat. Each year the theme is decided upon by the Peer Ministers. Because they are seniors themselves, they have a good grasp of what that year's senior class needs/wants for their final retreat together.

LEADERS: All retreats are chaperoned by Teachers, Faculty and Parents and are facilitated by the Peer Ministers.

WHAT TO BRING ON A RETREAT: Your son or daughter will need to bring a sack lunch on retreat. They will not need much more than that unless otherwise instructed. Dress for retreats is the same as for Fridays at Judge. In other words, uniform bottoms and spirit/pride shirts. Cell phones, Ipods, etc should be left at home or kept out of sight and turned off.

CAN I VOLUNTEER TO HELP WITH A RETREAT?: Yes. Contact Mr. Espil, the campus minister, at Judge.

PERMISSION SLIPS: Permission slips are sent out at least 2 weeks in advance. Please sign them and return them quickly.

ATHLETICS/ACTIVITIES THAT INTERFERE WITH RETREATS: Every effort is made to accommodate all teens. There are always two options for retreats so if there is a conflict on one day, your son or daughter is able to attend on the other day. Campus ministry works closely with the athletic dept. to ensure that all teens are scheduled on the day that is best for them.

Other Questions about retreats? Contact Mr. Espil in the Campus Ministry Office at Judge.