“Deep and meaningful,” is how Senior Matt Lutz describes his experience at his senior retreat. Among other Seniors asked to describe their retreat in one word or phrase was Drew Lodermeier replied with, “Rejuvenating.” Other descriptions were “Spiritual”- Matt Theisen, “Chill”- Libby Kreuser, “Enticing”- Matt Hockert, “Emotional”- Madie Kroehler, and “Down to earth”- Brooke Schermann.

According to Campus Minister Andrew Million, leader of many school retreats, “One of the main purposes of the senior retreat, especially the March overnight, is to really look back on your four years at TG and do a lot of reflecting.” According to the descriptions of the students above, this goal is achieved. Lutz further explained, “I figured out how I grew as person these last four years.”

The Senior retreats consists of reflection time, games, and prayer. Due to the location of the retreat- Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat Center- students are able to reflect outdoors while enjoying the beautiful scenery at the Center in Stillwater, MN. Brooke shared, “I liked how you could go on a nature walk with your friends.” This was a common idea shared between Seniors when asked about the location of the retreat.

Although there is a lot of personal time between reflection and prayer, there is also bonding activities that allow students to have fun while getting to know each other and themselves better. Some of the games are just for a good laugh and fun, but others have a deeper meaning that allow students to continue reflecting since this is a focus of the retreat.
According to Million, “Out of all the retreats, this is the one that we get the most positive feedback from. Just about every kid gets a lot out of this retreat if they go into it willing to buy into it.” Underclassmen, be sure to take Million’s advice of buying into the retreat in order to have a positive, meaningful experience like past seniors.