Sophomores must attend an overnight Urban Immersion Retreat with their homeroom to fulfill the Christian Service and Retreat requirements for sophomore year. The retreat will begin Friday at 3 p.m. and will run until about 6 p.m. on Saturday, after we attend Mass together. Over the course of our retreat, we will be preparing and serving a meal for people who are homeless, visiting the Hillside Community Food Bank, and visiting with the senior citizens at Little Sisters of the Poor in Totowa.

The Sophomore Christian Service requirement mirrors the theme of discipleship found in the sophomore year religion classes. As we work together with the poor and underprivileged of our community, we will also be taking the time to reflect together on how we are answering the call to act as Disciples of Christ. We will process our experiences as a group and discuss the Jesuit idea of a “faith that does justice” – always remembering that we are men (and women) for others. Most importantly, we will reflect on how our work “builds the City of God” with those around us.

WHAT ARE STUDENTS SAYING ABOUT THE RETREAT?

Joe W., ’12 said that “Sophomore retreat showed me how many people are living in poverty, and the talks we heard were really helpful with my reflection.”

Alex G., ’12 said that “Sophomore retreat opened my eyes to a life that I could never imagine myself living.”