Year 4 Eucharist Retreat

On Wednesday 30 August, 25 Year 9 students voluntarily took part in facilitating the Year 4 Eucharist Retreat Day.  The students spent part of the previous day preparing for the event and ensuring they were ready to lead the students through various activities to help them prepare for their First Holy Communion. The day's purpose was to explore the themes of community, inclusion, the qualities of Jesus and the importance of prayer. 

Students led their younger peers in games and activities and spent time debriefing and explaining the message and symbolism behind them. The day was an excellent opportunity for our students to demonstrate their initiative, develop their leadership skills and work together to present a cohesive and meaningful day for others. 

Thank you to Mrs Belle Barling, Faith Formation Coordinator for helping the students on the day and preparing the program. Thank you to Ms Jane Garland for preparing lunch for all the students on the day. 

Congratulations to the following students who stepped forward to be part of the day and for their courage to try something new. They all demonstrated excellent leadership and were a credit to themselves, our school, and their families.

SHINE Youth Ministry Conference

On Friday 1 September, Carroll College took part in another Youth Ministry event. The SHINE Youth Ministry Conference was held at Merici College, Canberra with some 400 students in attendance. 15 students from Year 9 and Year 10 put themselves forward to attend the Conference, taking part in workshops related to personal sharing, drama, music, leading small groups, prayer, and care for the environment. 

For those of our community who are not familiar with the SHINE Conference, here is a brief explanation from the Conference organisers:

SHINE is a student gathering for Year 9 and 10 students completing the CSYMI Youth Ministry units of study.  The day is designed to encourage students in their faith journey and further deepen their personal relationship with Jesus. 

The conference is comprised of a variety of keynote speakers, presenters, talks, dramas, testimony, music and other practical workshops and experiences. 

SHINE is also a great opportunity for young people across the Archdiocese to come together, be encouraged and learn from each other as well as build relationships outside of their school community.

Year 10 students, Erin Drewsen and Savannah McGann have written a reflection of the day.

On Friday Week 7, selected Year 9 and 10 students attended the Shine Youth Ministry Conference at Merici College, Canberra. We attended workshops and viewed presentations that were highly engaging, and it allowed us to socialise with members of schools across the Canberra Goulburn region, and deepen our knowledge of what it means to ‘shine’. 

The conference was a really awakening experience as we pondered the impact our faith has on our lives. We were given a series of workshops to take part in which we discussed a range of issues from homelessness to our individual importance in the world as a young person. We met a variety of guest speakers and entertainers including ‘Sir Augie’ who talked with us about how being Christian has influenced his life as a musical artist and led him to be where he is today. The day was fast-paced, enjoyable, and entertaining and invited us to think about the role God has in our lives. 

For lunch we had Subway and cans of soft drinks delivered to the College and we sat around the school's courtyard talking with students from Canberra schools as we ate and drank. It was interesting and fun to engage with students from other schools and some of us even exchanged numbers to create a group chat with the people we met from the day.

Overall, it was a very fun and highly engaging experience, and we would definitely recommend for students in upcoming years to participate in this event.

Thank you very much to Ms Elle Boller who accompanied the students to Canberra and shared this experience with them in a caring and supportive manner. Congratulations to the following students on attending this event.

Erica Drewsen

RE Coordinator