Senior Retreat at Stanwell Tops – Year 12 2024

From Monday to Wednesday of Week 5, Year 11 2023, (our Year 12 2024 senior leaders), travelled to Stanwell Tops for our 2023 Senior Retreat.

Students were able to create bonds with others through prayer partnerships and small group sessions, which kept us thinking and reflecting until late at night. The activities were a wonderful way to get to know more about each other, whilst finding out a few interesting facts about the staff as we journeyed together. We enjoyed the challenges and the reflections provided by the teachers, giving great opportunity to develop teamwork and communication skills. The free time also provided scope to explore, relax, and become aware of what nature has to offer. Some staff and students chose to get up before the sun, walk to the Tops Lookout and greet the sunrise – a first for many.

A highlight of the retreat was listening to Fr Lewi Barakat, who is currently the Archbishop of Sydney’s Master of Ceremonies and is based at St Mary’s Cathedral, where he ministers as an Assistant Priest. We were able to deepen our faith by learning more about the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and celebrating the Eucharist. We look forward to inviting Fr Lewi to Domremy, so more Domremy girls can experience the sacrament of Reconciliation throughout the year. Such experiences further support and extend our faith journey.

I would like to thank and acknowledge the staff who were a great support to me and to your daughters over the three days: Monica Ribeiro, Lucy Silva, Romina Zappulla, Glenn Magson, Joe Zaccheo, Sylvia Bath, Greg Sciortino, Liz Forbes, Isabella Bechara and of course Kavita Kshatriya. It was a really rewarding experience that was valuable in uniting the Year 12 2024 group as they embarked on their final year of secondary school as Domremy girls! 

Mrs Jane Sullivan, Religious Education Coordinator

Last week the Year 12 cohort had the amazing opportunity to travel to Stanwell Tops for our Year 12 retreat. The theme for the retreat was ‘disconnect to reconnect’. Our time at Stanwell Tops was reflective of this theme as it was one of renewal, reflection, connection with others and self-discovery. Our time away from school and classes allowed us to disconnect from our daily routine, current stresses, assignments, and the busy nature of our lives and focus our attention on reconnecting with ourselves, each other, and God through both nature, reflection and prayer. 

The first day of the retreat we were given a prayer partner which was chosen at random. This allowed us to pray for that person over the duration of the retreat and, on the last day, we were able to have a conversation with our prayer partner and share what we had been praying for and allow us to build a connection with someone we may not know as well. 

Throughout our retreat there were multiple opportunities where we were able to bond further with each other and bond with those who we don’t engage with as much As an example, on the second day we did an Emmaus walk with someone who we didn’t know that well. This allowed us to take a walk around the site and talk to people we don’t know that well and learn more about those who we will be working with throughout our last year at Domremy. 

During the second day of the retreat we were privileged to have Fr Loui attend retreat with us to celebrate mass and reconciliation. His homily gave us insight into how important the Sacrament of Reconciliation can be for some people. The stories that he shared inspired us to continue our journey of reconciliation throughout our lives and turn towards God in times of struggle and in times of need. 

The retreat was a relaxing experience which slowly passed, allowing us to focus on our personal reflection and take our time journaling. Time away at Stanwell Tops during our retreat was balanced between productivity and time spent exploring the site, free time allowed for further disconnection from our busy lives and allowed us to connect to nature, each other and the teachers who came with us. 

Overall, our experience at retreat was filled with times for reflection, disconnection and bonding between those in our year group before the year ahead. 

On behalf of all Year 12 I would like to thank Mrs Sullivan for her tireless work so we could get this beautiful opportunity..

Charlotte Hextell, 2024 Faith and Mission Prefect