Making a special connection: Students at St. Jerome enjoy a God-filled retreat

Courtney Hicks proudly wears her cross from the St. Jerome Elementary School Retreat.

"He Calls You by Name," was the theme of this school year’s school-wide Lenten retreat at St. Jerome Elementary School.

All approximately 150 students attending the all-day activities designed to help the students make a greater personal connection with God.

Retreat coordinator and third grade teacher at St. Jerome Elementary, Cathy Pawson, was honored to put together a retreat that the students would not soon forget.

"I wanted this not to be about me," Pawson said. " I wanted this to be God’s retreat."

The festivities began at eight o’clock with an opening prayer and a story led by Pawson. She told the students a story she created to help the students understand about Jesus and how he sacrificed his life for them because they all were very special to him. The story was about a girl who went into a dangerous cave out of curiosity. The cave began to collapse. Jesus appeared and helped the girl out of the cave. However, he didn’t make it out of the cave himself.

"They really seemed to like the story," Pawson said. "I think it helped them to understand how important they are to God."

Following the prayer and the story, the school broke up into two groups. Kindergarten through fourth grade heard another story and then drew a picture of Jesus while listening to music.

"I was so pleased with how the children really got into the drawing." Pawson said. "Even the little ones did a great job."

The fifth through eighth graders went to St. Jerome Church for their activities. They were told a story. They were then asked to write down every bad name they have thought about themselves. The students listened to inspirational music and wrote. After they wrote all these names down, they put the notes in a basket next to a cross.

Courtney Hicks, a seventh- grader at St. Jerome School, said she felt relief after the exercise. "I felt like everything bad thing I thought about myself was out of my head and on that paper." Hicks said. "I felt like I would never have to deal with those feelings anymore because I gave them to God."

Following the note activity, the students went to the library to write letters to God. They were instructed to write whatever they wanted to say and any questions they wanted to ask.

Marjani Brown, also a seventh-grader at St. Jerome, said writing letters to God was a very emotional activity for her. Brown, who recently lost her cousin due to complications from juvenile arthritis, continues to grieve her loss. "I was crying because I miss her so much," Brown said. "Writing that letter helped me to ask God a lot of questions. I felt better afterward."

Brown and Hicks both felt that the retreat was a success.

" I think that we should have a retreat every year," Brown said.

Hicks agreed. She said she has worn the cross she was given at the retreat every day as a reminder of how she felt.

"The retreat made me feel empowered," Hicks said. "Wearing the cross reminds me that I always have Jesus on my side."