Our team works to meet your youth where they are in life and faith. That means that we approach each retreat from a different perspective based on what you need. Though we approach each retreat differently, we understand that you may want a completely different retreat and retreat theme than what we outlined in the first tab. Below is a list of all the retreat themes we can implement with your group and each of these themes has different components that can bring emphasis to areas that you would like us to focus on with your students. We hope that we can partner with you and give you exactly what you want from your retreat.

Retreat Theme Options

The Best is Yet to Come:
In our world today it can be difficult to look forward and think that the best is yet to come. Through the sharing of stories, students will find that others are persevering and looking ahead in situations similar to their own. These stories of overcoming reveal that there is hope and that God is working everything for good. (recommended for Junior classes)

H.E.R.O:
The acronym H.E.R.O. stands for Hopeful, Enduring, Radical and Outpouring. Students will share times in their life where they have endured through difficult moments and how they kept hope. It is a radical thing in our world today to attempt to find good in these moments of suffering. Students will explore where they have found hope in their lives and how they are called to pass the hope of Christ on to others. (recommended for Junior classes)

Ignite the F.I.R.E:
F.I.R.E. stands for Fortify, Inspire, Renew, Explore. Students are called to ignite their hearts with inspiration for living in today’s world. Every student is at a different place in their faith journey. F.I.R.E. encourages them to explore their relationship with God in order to renew a lost faith, inspire a new one or fortify an existing one. This retreat is centered around the words of St. Catherine of Siena: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” (recommended for Confirmation and Junior classes)

Open the Book and Unpack the Stories:
Everyone has a story. Students are called to share what parts of their journey have led them to where they are today. When we share our stories, we find that in a world full of division, we have more in common than we think. (recommended for Junior classes)

Connections:
During these years of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it has been much more difficult to maintain connections for students who have been away from the classroom and with less access to in person friendships. This retreat focuses on reconnecting through games and activities that promote self reflection, discussion and prayer. The aim is to refocus relationships with themselves, others, and God. (recommended for Freshman and Sophomore classes)

Rooted and Built Up:
Life is full of uncertainty. It is possible to stand strong through trial when we have a firm foundation. A tree is able to stay standing and even grow through storms because of its roots support it from deep into the ground. This retreat asks students what they are rooted in and shows that when we are rooted in Christ, he will give us a firma foundation to make it through all of life’s storms. (recommended for Senior classes)

On Eagles Wings:
God wants to give each of us the strength to do good work throughout our lives. This retreat teaches students how to trust in God and allow him to be the motivation for our lives, work and ministry. When our future leaders ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Christ will give them strength and “they shall mount up with wings like eagles…” (Isaiah 40:31) (recommended for peer ministers)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made:
Students are asked to explore the questions “how do I see myself?” and “how does God see me?” They are encouraged to look at the gifts God has given them. This retreat speaks the truth of how Jesus sees each of us, as a beloved son or daughter of God, loved exactly as we were created. (recommended for Junior retreats)

Be a Light:
This retreat helps to identify who or what brings light to the darkest moments of our lives. Students are given the space to practice gratitude towards the people who have been lights in their lives. This is followed by the opportunity to identify how we can share the light of Christ with others and put it into practice. (recommended for Junior and Senior retreats)

Men and Women of All Seasons:
For many parts of the world, cold winters are just an accepted part of life. We persevere through them looking forward to springs filled with new life and growth. The retreat encourages students to approach the seasons of life in this manner as well. Life comes with all kinds of seasons. Some are longer than others and many come unexpectedly. This retreat emphasizes the need for all seasons of life and how they work together. It gives students strategies to keep going during the difficult “winters” of life as well as celebrate the joys of “spring.” (recommended for Senior retreats)

Who do People Say I Am:
We all have voices in our lives telling us who we are and sometimes what we “should” be. This retreat asks students to take a look at what voices they listen to and reflect on how they see themselves as a result of these voices. They will be asked if God is one of those voices. Who do they say he is? God’s voice tells us that we are created just as we are meant to be and that we are loved. Students are led to the discussion of if they believe they can call God a voice that they can trust. (recommended for Junior High, Freshman and Sophomore retreats)

In Your Hands:
God has given each of us many gifts. Even our life itself is a gift. What we do with the gifts we are given is up to us, and whether we realize it or not, we make these choices every day. Students on this retreat will evaluate how they go about making decisions. They will discover the gifts that God has given them throughout their whole lives and how they can use those gifts for the good of themselves and others. (recommended for Confirmation, 8th grade, Freshman and Senior retreats)

Walking in the Light of God:
We are all walking on different paths through life. When we let God guide us on our path he will be our light when we walk through darkness. His light is the one that will never go out and his guidance will never deceive us. This retreat teaches that God wants us to live in hope and joy. It gives students time to practice listening to the voice of God and following the path he has laid out for each of their lives. (recommended for Confirmation and High School retreats)

God is a Superhero:
Jesus is the hero that is willing to give even his own life for the ones he loves, which happens to be us. He conquered even death for us, and now we can rely on his strength and dependability in every situation. Students on this retreat will explore the heroic love Jesus has for each of them and come together to share stories of how God has been present in their lives, working for their good. (recommended for Confirmation and 8th grade retreats.)

Confirmed in The Spirit:
When we give and receive gifts, the expectation is that they are opened and used, not left on a shelf to collect dust. Through confirmation, the Holy Spirit wants to give to us many gifts. Students on this retreat are called to discover what those gifts are and how we can use them to continue living as Christ’s followers even when it proves difficult. This retreat focuses on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they can be used throughout our whole lives. (recommended for Confirmation retreats)

Masks:
In the past couple years, wearing masks has become a normal thing to do, and there are masks that we have been wearing for even longer. We all put up masks every day to portray to others the pieces of who we are that we want others to see, hiding those that we don’t. This retreat helps students to recognize the masks that they wear, how they want to be seen and how God sees everything that we are and chooses to love all of us. (recommended for Sophomore retreats)

During the pandemic, the LSM Retreat team had to think outside the box and stretch the limits of the Retreat Center. Often was the case that the Manor did not meet the needs and comfortability of our groups. Because of this, we conducted 60% of our retreats during the 2020-2021 retreat season “off-site.” Though this was a change of pace and a new challenge for the team, we quickly learned that we were capable of facilitating effective retreats away from the Manor. Using the space available in schools and parishes, we took the show on the road and brought the love of Christ to countless retreatants that would have otherwise not heard the good news.

We now are looking to continue this trend. The pandemic is not the only reason you may need an off-site retreat. Whether your budget is tight or scheduling is limited, an off-site retreat may be just the right thing to bring to your school or parish.

Faith R&R Series

This Faith R&R Series was the LSM Retreat Team’s response to the shutdown. We wanted to reach our retreatants in their time of need. We turned to virtual means. We created this series to give our youth something wholesome and positive to plug into during a time of isolation. We hope to provide more virtual content in the future and meet our youth where they are in the world.

The Team now has it’s own social media pages. Please like and follow on Facebook and Instagram for more virtual content.