By Connor Allen ‘26
On Thursday, Feb. 20, students from Brother Rice and Mother McAuley came together to work the 8th grade confirmation retreat at St. Germaine parish.
The main focus of the retreat was to prepare the students for Confirmation through peer to peer interactions while also hearing from peer minister students and their witness reflections.
For each reflection, a peer minister from both Brother Rice and Mother McAuley talked together. There were four different witness reflections.
The first of the witness reflections was on family. Senior Colin Nye, who graduated from St. Germaine in ’22, gave this reflection.
“Getting the chance to talk to 8th graders from my parish made me feel proud, and I am always happy to give back to Germaine,” said Nye.
The second witness reflection was given by me, and this reflection was about exploring relationships with friendships and the difference between fitting in versus belonging.
The third witness reflection was given by senior Owen Hayes, who also graduated from St. Germaine in ’22. Owen talked about his experiences with exploring relationships in God.
Owen said, “Talking to 8th graders from my parish felt like a full circle moment as I was just here four years ago, also making my confirmation.”
The last witness reflection was about service. Senior Lucas Scarnavack gave this talk about how service has impacted his life.
“To me, service is not just about helping others; it is all about putting others first and getting the experience in return,” said Scarnavack.
Students also participated in ice breakers, fun mini games, and also reflected on their own life after hearing every witness reflection. The retreat was concluded by attending mass at St. Germaine.
The overall retreat was a great success and a great experience for the soon-to-be confirmed 8th graders at St. Germaine.
