Article by Matt Gavagan ’24 and Lindsay Trum ’24:
In July, twelve seniors from Kellenberg traveled to Dayton, Ohio for a faith-based leadership program called Marianist LIFE, which stands for Living in Faith Experience. Marianist LIFE is a five-day retreat which is designed to teach Marianist students across the country how to build and nurture the faith community at their schools. The retreat is also technology-free, which allows the students the opportunity to grow in their faith and interact with the other participants without any distractions. The program is attended by schools from all over the country, including places like San Antonio, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. Throughout the five days spent at the Bergamo Retreat Center, the students developed close relationships with one another as well as skills to create a faithful environment at Kellenberg. We were lucky enough to be a part of the twelve “LIFErs” to share in this once in a lifetime experience.
Throughout the five days, we focused our attention on topics such as community, mission, inclusivity, and faith. We engaged in activities that would allow us to further understand the significance of each topic such as witness talks, group discussions, and team building exercises. We also took on leadership opportunities to help prepare us for our roles back in our home communities. This included planning prayer services, developing a mission statement for our school year, and discussing service events to host back home. With all this incredible training, we still however were able to find time to have fun. We had a basketball tournament, did a talent show and had socials at night. It was during times like those that we developed sincere friendships with members of LIFE from all over the US. Even with all this greatness, the most memorable moments were times of prayer. We participated in many beautiful services that grew our faith lifes tremendously. One in particular that holds a special place in our hearts is the candle ceremony in which we all expressed our petitions and prayed for each other. This event truly sparked the beginning of us as a team, not just twelve peers.
With that being said, one of the most valuable parts of LIFE for us was the relationships we made with each other. Although we all knew each other going into Marianist LIFE, it’s safe to say that we were all slightly nervous. We weren’t able to talk to our families, we were traveling to a place we’ve never been to before, and we didn’t know exactly what was in store for the next five days. Despite these worries, we loved it from the second we got off the plane. The absence of cell phones allowed us to disconnect from the stress of everyday life and embrace each other’s company, which is something that is hard to do in a world full of technology. In addition to growing close with our own LIFE team, we got to build relationships with LIFErs from all over the country whom we still keep in touch with. Although we are no longer in Ohio, we’ve continued to meet up both inside and outside of school at events such as service projects, retreats, and even a Mets game. Needless to say, Marianist LIFE has had a tremendous impact on our group chemistry.
Now that we are back home, we hope to be able to bring the spirit of Dayton to Kellenberg. Our mission is to build a community of faith where everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate. Throughout the year, we will be working behind the scenes on faith events, promotional videos, and witness talks among other things. Our hope is that we will be able to bring others closer to each other and closer to God in the Marianist spirit.