Senior Retreat 2026: Growing Together with God

Juana Perez ‘26

The Fontbonne Hall Academy senior class went on the annual senior retreat, a tradition held in the month of November. It is a required retreat for all senior classes and provides a few days off from school. It was a beautiful experience: a moment we came together to become stronger, not as classmates, but as a family. It was a time to disconnect from the noise of the world and school, and to strengthen our connection with those who have walked the halls with us for the last 3 years.

When us seniors arrived at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, New Jersey, the mood was a mix of nerves and curiosity. We didn't know exactly what was prepared for us, but the setting immediately set the tone. We were welcomed not by bells and lockers, but by the wind and the waves. The retreat house, set beside the ocean, offered a warm welcome despite the windy weather. It was an immediate signal that this was a space away from personal stress, college applications, and exams – a place to meditate on our lives and our shared experiences. 

The first day was a whirlwind of adjustment. We settled into our rooms, bonded with our roommates, and waited for instructions. Soon after, we were introduced to the purpose of the retreat: to discover why this specific time matters. While some students initially hesitated, unsure of the retreat's motive or perhaps wishing to be back in the comfort of their own homes, they didn't yet realize how these three days would bring us together as a family.

By the second day, the walls began to come down. We woke up to eat breakfast together, sharing meals with kindness and conversations that felt different from the usual cafeteria chatter. We participated in morning prayers, thanking God for the opportunity to pause for a moment.

The days were filled with talks about how God is present in our daily lives, but the nights were where the magic happened. Making our way to the chapel for Night Prayer, the sound of our voices singing hymns filled the space. We took the time to forget about the "external world," where we are constantly pressured to succeed. Instead, we focused on ourselves and the friend next to us.

On the third day, we woke up realizing that it was time to say goodbye to this beautiful place. We prepared to return to reality, but we were not returning as the same people who left. We were going back with new friendships and memories. The retreat concluded with a special Mass, where some seniors participated in readings and all other seniors sang the hymns, making the success of the retreat truly our own. When the time came to board the buses, many of us didn't want to leave, wishing we could hold onto that feeling of community just a little longer.

The retreat was a space to receive the grace of God, so that we might be sent back to be the grace of God. As St. Teresa of Avila states:

"Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world."

We return to the world not just as another senior class, but as a family ready to be those hands and feet.