On October 23rd, 2024, Benet held its annual Rule of Benedict Retreat for Freshmen. This retreat teaches the new students about the Benedictine tradition they will be practicing in their Religion classes during their time at Benet. The retreat also helps freshmen learn to apply these new values to their everyday lives.
The day started with all Freshmen meeting in St. Daniel’s Hall, where they dropped off household donations to be donated to the Humanitarian Service Project in DuPage and Will Counties. The freshmen gathered in the auditorium for an introduction to the Benedictine tradition and a skit explaining why the freshmen took part in this retreat. Next, the students broke into four different groups based on the color of their given retreat shirt. Once all students found their groups, it was time for the retreat to begin.
The retreat started with each group at one of the four stations. One of the stations was the chapel. During this station, Deacon Christopher led students in prayer and reflection. After spending some time in the chapel, the students got to choose which activity they wanted to do next: stay in the chapel, say the rosary, practice prayer with songs, or practice the Lectio Devina. Upperclassmen led the second station. They shared stories about their time at Benet, including key events that had impacted them, and explained how you can apply the Benedictine tradition within your own life. The third station was how to help your community. Some presenters, like volunteers at Feed My Starving Children, talked about how everyone can make a huge impact on their community by volunteering. The fourth and final station allowed the students to meet and talk to more people while playing games outside, such as spikeball and kickball.
To end the day, everyone headed to the auditorium for a celebration of the Mass. After mass, Deacon Christopher concluded by talking more about the Benedictine tradition and recapping everything the students had learned that day. Deacon Christopher encouraged the students to take the faith-based lessons they learned during the retreat and try to apply them every day by using all the opportunities presented to them as students of Benet Academy to embrace the Benedictine tradition.
