Retreat at school

“Change bears fruit” was the motto of the joint retreat of secondary schools Frateran Santo Gabriel Nunukan (SMASGAN) and Frater Don Bosco Tarakan (SMATER D’BOST). There were a total of 292 participants, both teachers and students from both schools, including the committee. This joint retreat was especially for grade XII students and took place from 27 January to 1 February 2024 at SMAS Frater Don Bosco Tarakan. SMASGAN’s presence at SMATER D’BOST was a return visit after SMATER D’BOST visited last year (2023) for a retreat.

Retreat

Retreat means withdrawing from your routine to get closer to God, to contemplate or deepen your relationship with the Creator. In retreat, you deliberately distance yourself from your daily activities.

“Change bears fruit” describes a process of transformation. It includes the idea that knowing yourself before God enables conscious change that can lead to growth in various aspects of life.

Mentorship

This year’s retreat was guided by Fr Yohanes Mauk, BHK, director of SMASGAN. Several themes were covered, including ‘Self-examination’ (who am I), ‘Self-esteem’, ‘Me and my friends’, ‘Me and my family’, and ‘Me and my teachers’.  The themes were spread over five days with various reflections. Each theme highlighted an aspect of personal development that enables self-knowledge, forgiveness and reconciliation.

Besides the reflections, there were also sports activities and performances. Sports and games were organised to promote brotherhood between the two schools.

Patron’s Feast

The joint retreat culminated in the celebration of the Patron’s Feast of SMAS Brother Don Bosco on 31 January. A choir composed of students from the two schools accompanied the Eucharist celebration at Santa Maria Immaculate Tarakan church. Pastor Andri, the parish priest, expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the two schools. He sees this kind of activity by Catholic schools as a medium for proclaiming God’s love through the world of education.

Loved by God

The night of reconciliation was a special moment when all spiritual formation came together in this multi-day retreat. Acknowledgement of self and recognition of others; friends, parents and teachers were given space to heal inner wounds. On the journey of life, sometimes there are things that are not pleasant, we have scratches and wounds in our hearts that can make us sad. But God was, is, and will always guide us, teach us and mature us in His way. Everything happens in His plan (Isaiah 55:8-9). Whoever we are, whatever our experiences, good and bad, past, present and future, they lie in God’s loving providence (Psalm 27:10). Realising the greatness of God’s infinite love creates strength and encouragement to rise again from adversity and painful circumstances, as well as the strength to listen and forgive, because forgiveness is essentially a healing power (Ephesians 4:32). Such is the spirit of a true disciple of Christ who wants to become a new man in Christ.