Retreat Nights Help 7th and 8th Graders Experience Prayer and Listen to God 

Tracey Vieira speaks to the 7th Graders about prayer during their retreat night on March 16.

Lent is a time for prayer and refocusing our lives to hear God's voice speaking to us. The 7th and 8th graders of the Religious Education Program had this opportunity during their retreat nights that were led by Ms. Tracey Vieira, High School Youth Minister at Our Lady of Peace Parish in New Providence, NJ and members of our high school peer leadership team.

Students at the Knotty Net

On Friday, March 16, the 7th graders experienced prayer in a variety of ways. In small groups, they took turns at different prayer stations where they were challenged to try some new ways to pray. At the Prayer Chain Station, they wrote names of people that they know, who are in need of God's help. They then linked their prayers together to form one large chain. At the Knotty Net, students took small pieces of fabric and tied them to a fishing net. This symbolizes the knots or struggles in our lives and that Jesus is there to catch them all for us.

Adding a link to the prayer chain

The 8th graders spent their retreat on Friday, March 30 thinking about how we encounter God's message in our lives. They listened to popular songs from artists such as One Direction, Rihanna, and Carrie Underwood. Each small group was asked to discuss the message in each song and talk about whether or not it was one that God would want us to hear. Tracey then spoke about the message the world wants us to hear and the one God wants us to hear and how we can go about discerning which we should be putting on our Ipods and into our lives.

Erin prays the Our Father and talks to God during a prayer skit

Both retreat night also put the focus on the Our Father and how when we look more closely at the words it truly can change our lives.  Two members of our high school peer ministry team, Erin and Mike acted out a skit that helped everyone better understand the words of the Our Father. 

To end their nights on prayer, the 7th and 8th graders both had the opportunity to sit in silence and take time for personal prayer in Mary's Chapel in the Lower Church. This gave them the chance to listen to God in the quietness of their hearts. The 7th graders were led through a guided meditation where they were able to encounter Jesus and share their lives with Him. The nights were a great way for the students to experience prayer and share their faith outside the classroom.