St. Columbanus Year 9

We had the year 9 classes from St. Columbanus College in Bangor here for their retreats on the 10th, 11th and 13th of May. We were debating various statements such as;

• "It's OK to tell a lie if it gets you out of trouble!"


• "God exists!"


• "If you get extra in your change it's the shops loss!"

These were just some of the statements we debated. And why? Well, it's important to know what you believe, so that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you're called to make a choice that you can make a right choice.

God gave us free will, which means that we can choose what to do. So what is it that stops most of us from acting on impulse all the time?

We talked about whether it was our upbringing, or the values of the society in which we grow up...or could it be our conscience, the voice within us, which many believe is the voice of God.

We talked about the type of attitudes Jesus had and the values that he upheld. You can see some of these on the jigsaw pieces that people made after their meditation.

As usual the groups organised their own prayer services and wrote the prayers and reflections to go with them. Some of the reflections can be seen in the photos. The lovely focus below has the word GOD written in cloths and above it is a cross and bread and wine.

A retreat is a time to think about the things we value in life, like family and friends and the importance of love in our lives.

One of the Scripture readings we reflected on was Matthew 25:31-46. It is easier to love the people who love us than to extend that love and care to those we don't know, particularly those who are marginalised in society because of their social status, immigration status, disability, religion etc. It is a challenge to all of us who call ourselves Christian to extend our love to these people and to be an advocate for them, because of their dignity as a beloved children of God.

One of the other great challenges that Jesus set us, was the call to love our enemies, not simply to forgive them, but to love them. That is a very difficult thing to do!

The lovely focus below shows the word Jesus written in cloths and the boxes that everyone made. A good focus helps to create a prayerful atmosphere and helps us to bring our minds back to prayer when they wander.

One of the feelings we associate with love is JOY! All love comes from God who wants us to be full of joy.

Part of a retreat experience is to journal. This just means writing or drawing your thoughts on a piece of paper. The groups did this on pieces of card that fitted together to form a poster. You can read some of the thoughts that came up for people in the photos.

It's OK to ask questions. It's OK to not have the answers.

This focus shows the word JOYFUL. It is a lovely word to finish this post on because it is certainly how we felt about the groups who came here from St. Columbanus.

The groups wrote some lovely prayers for their Prayer Services.

Dear God,
We pray for those who are under pressure for the upcoming exams. And for those who are struggling. May you give them knowledge and wisdom.
Lord hear us.

Dear God,
Please help those that are poor and don't have clean water and fresh food that we get so easily.
Please help them fight diseases, have warm homes and live happily.
Lord hear us.

Dear God,
We pray for those less fortunate who are going through hard times. We hope that they will get help and get through the rough times in the present and from the past.
Guide them.
Lord hear us.

Our thanks to everyone who came here from St. Columbanus College. We look forward to your return.