Last Wednesday, the Class of 2027 gathered for its first day of school. They met their teachers, got their lockers, heard from administration, etc.
The following day, they bussed to the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus (NY) for a day-long retreat. They were accompanied by 10 faculty members and 30 student leaders.
They enjoyed a walk through the woods to the banks of the Hudson River.
They heard from Mr. Doherty, Mr. Kivlehan, Mr. Asselta and Mrs. Podest about SJR culture, what it means to be the Vir Fidelis and how to get involved.
And they got a chance to hear from senior leaders and have an informal Q&A - "what do you do after school," "how to meet girls," "what does the Media Club do."
After lunch, they all headed to the chapel for Mass. Seniors Jack Laux and Liam Fahey handled the readings, while sophomore Anthony Frydel brought his keyboard to sing.
It was a crowded (and hot), but the tone struck all the right cords.
The priest asked for them to share prayer intentions out loud. One young man raised his hand to pray for the SJR students embarking on a new school year. "Would you all like to join him in that prayer? Let's tell the Lord" followed by "Lord hear our prayer."
We continued - one young man had a family friend who was ill, the loudest assent was a prayer for the football team in its game against Don Bosco. "I think the Lord heard that prayer," Father acknowledged.