Year 10 Retreat – Finding the Sacred Within
Year 10 Retreat – Finding the Sacred Within
Students reflect on their Year 10 Retreat experience and activities.
The Year 10 Retreat, Finding the Sacred Within, is an encounter with prayer using three different meditative activities, including a labyrinth walk, a mandala meditation and a clay meditation. The labyrinth walk is a practice used by Christians since the fourth century. Christians walk the labyrinth to quieten the mind, find balance, and to meditate. Eastern contemplative traditions use symbols such as the mantra and mandala as a means of centring the mind. The mandala is not unknown in the Christian tradition, an obvious example being the rose windows of the great cathedrals – it is a symbol of the whole self, by which self-knowledge may grow, and hence knowledge of God. Students used a meditative process whereby they have an opportunity to create their image of God. While the finished product is a personal symbol of the artist’s image of God, the idea that it is a creative action is of equal consequence. Thus, the focus is on the working with the clay as much as constructing the finished product.
The Year 10 Retreat gave students the opportunity to pause and reflect while enjoying one another’s presence in a tranquil environment.
Ms Libby Boylan
Faith and Mission Coordinator
