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Retreats

November 15, 2024 | Media

Some of life’s best lessons are learned outside of the classroom. Form III and Form VI enjoyed their retreats off campus! Students took a break from their usual schedules to reflect, connect, and just be boys. The day was filled with games, artistic exploration, thoughtful discussions, and Mass—a meaningful time for growth and formation.

Form III went to Holy Trinity Seminary for their retreat which focused on the four cardinal virtues. They heard lectures, had small group discussions, spent some time in prayer, went to mass, and even wrote and performed their own virtue-based skits. Alumnus and current seminarian John Paul Jacob also stopped by to check in on the seventh graders.

Form VI spent their retreat diving deep into faith convictions. Students had the opportunity to share their personal faith journeys with classmates. The retreat also featured an engaging talk from alumnus Nate Sanchez, who spoke about how his faith shapes his daily life and decisions. It was a meaningful day that combined personal sharing, spiritual growth, and connection.

Hawk Happenings

Mini Arts Festival

Here’s a look at the Mini Arts Festival when the sun was shining and creativity was in full bloom.

2025 Literary Competition

Full guidelines and entry link are posted here.

Stations of the Cross

Did you know? Cistercian’s campus features a dedicated Stations of the Cross trail, offering students a place to walk, pray, and reflect in the beauty of nature.

Experience Cistercian

Publications

Thy Kingdom Come

The more I reflect on the petitions of the Our Father, the more I’m convinced that I have no idea what I’m praying when I mumble those words multiple times every day.

The current object of my loving mystification is “Thy kingdom come.” In an effort to be slightly less intimidated by this vast and marvelous petition, I will arrange my musings as responses to the time-honored journalistic questions.

Lessons learned in a monastery

One of the most important rooms in a monastery, after the church, is the chapter room. This is the place where monks meet to do various things as a community: hear an exhortation from their abbot; listen to a spiritual reading (often a chapter from “The Rule of St. Benedict”); deliberate and vote on the important material and spiritual questions that arise in a monastery, such as who should be the abbot, whether to welcome a young monk as a permanent member of the community through solemn profession, and how best to structure their lives to promote God’s purpose.

Calling upon the hallowed name of the Lord

Jesus poses a problem when He instructs us to pray to the Father with the words “hallowed be Thy name” (Matthew 6:9). Many Psalms exhort the faithful to praise or call upon the name of the LORD (Psalm 113:1; 116:13; 148:13), and others assert that “Our help is in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 124:8). But how can human beings hallow — that is, make holy — the name of the LORD (in Hebrew, YHWH), Who is already, always, and automatically holy, utterly beyond our ability to add to or subtract from, to influence or change?