A Day of Reflection and Renewal

A Day of Reflection and Renewal

Each year, Damien freshman and sophomores attend a retreat led by Campus Ministry, which this year is under the guidance of Mr. McGivern and a select group of  junior and senior leaders. This annual tradition at Damien continued into the school year of 2022-23. These retreats have been ongoing for over 40+ years, and the annual tradition has resumed at Damien in both 2-21-2022 and 2022-2023 after a brief pause due to the pandemic.  The Days of Recollection are held at St. Anthony's Retreat Center, originally a convent which was converted into a retreat center in 1974. 

These retreats are a great opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to learn more about themselves, their peers/classmates, and get them thinking about their faith life and relationship with God.  Additionally, through the activities, discussions, and sharings, students build community and fellowship with one another. Students year after year share what a positive experience these days of recollection are for them in making Damien feel more like a family than a school, and in helping them forge friendships that will last the duration of their high school years and beyond. 

One example of this chance to be reflective is an activity in which students reflect on their high and low points in their lives, and how those events and experiences have helped them to grow into the persons they are today.  Students get to see their own life experiences in a different light, hear from the shared experiences of their classmates, and realize that they are not alone in their struggles as students, whether it be at school, at home, or in their social lives.  Solidarity and community building are formed from activities such as these, allowing students to see each other as people and not just classmates.

The Days of Recollection are a vital part of Damien’s Mission as a Catholic school to allow students to grow, not just academically, but spiritually and morally.  Thus, they have been incorporated into student life since the school has been in existence.  The move to St. Anthony’s Retreat Center is the school’s way of allowing students to truly “get away” from the classroom environment, at a calm, quiet location that also happens to be conveniently located only a few minutes away from the Damien campus.  It is hoped that this tradition of the Days of Recollection will continue into the future, allowing generations of Damien students to share in this amazing experience.