Year 12 2025 – Seniors Retreat – Stanwell Tops: “A Journey of Faith and Connection”

A Journey of Faith and Connection

The beautiful surroundings of Stanwell Tops created a relaxed and united space for our cohort to come together and connect with God during the extremely busy transition into the most important year of our schooling. A break from our screens, school work and everyday rush; the Year 12 retreat gave us the opportunity to truly sit with ourselves, be with friends, our teachers and Our Lord. 

A major part of the retreat was reflecting on making time for God in our busy lives. One of the activities, ‘The Prayer Jar’, used a clever analogy to compare our lives to a jar. The jar was filled with items like lollies, chocolates, and sprinkles, representing commitments such as school, work, family, friends, struggles, and achievements. The activity demonstrated that, no matter how full the jar gets, there is always space left for God.

Daily journal entries and group discussions reinforced this important information, prompting our quiet year group to speak up and share; most touchingly, share many of our experiences with God. As each girl became more comfortable to express themselves, we discovered the unique and beautiful connection many of us shared in faith. Surrounded by candles, soft music and our team, a deeper connection was made with God and among our cohort in Mass and group Reconciliation. 

A variety of activities throughout the retreat strengthened these connections and even built new friendships. Some memorable moments included playing basketball and soccer outside our rooms, meditating “under the stars”, going on the sunrise walk and discovering our prayer partners. At the beginning of our journey, each student was assigned a random partner to pray for, during our time at Stanwell Tops. 

On the last day, we each gave a prayer to our designated person. For me, this was my favourite moment as I truly believe many hearts were touched that day and friendships bloomed, even from the most unexpected places. I know that our Year Group will forever be grateful for the chance to connect with others and God, away from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. We hope to continue to foster friendships that began and were strengthened, always make time for God and learn to sit with ourselves. Thank you to everyone that made this retreat possible.

Mariella Trombetta, Year 12 2025