Senior Retreat

Our Seniors had the most amazing retreat at Stella Maris Retreat Center, Long Branch on April 12 & 13. Our Retreat Team was on fire with the Spirit and it spread throughout the entire Senior Class. Everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by the warm embrace of God's Love. The beauty of Creation engulfed us beginning with Brother Sun and ending with Sister Moon.

We laughed, we cried, we played and we prayed with the Spirit of the Lord in our midst. We walked along the shore with Peter and experienced the Risen Christ. "It was a true awakening... the walls we built came tumbling down."

They reflected on their four years at Benedictine Academy as they were blindfolded, connected together in a chain of friendship, for a morning TRUST WALK. "Fear was slowly replaced by trust... a mirror reflection of our walk with Jesus."

We toasted the Class of 2010 with thanks and praise to the Lord in Chapel during an evening candlelit prayer service. Attitudes of love and gratefulness for their B.A. Sisters flowed from their hearts in abundance.

How Great Thou Art, our Lord, our God!

Reconciliation

According to the Gospel of Matthew 5:24: "Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your sister (brother); then come and offer your gift." This is the Word that beckons our school community to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the Lenten Season. It was a sacred time for our students and staff to experience the Lord's mercy and compassion. Our faithful friends, Father ST Sutton and Father Richard Berbary administered this wonderful Sacrament of Healing. May the Peace of our Lord be with us all this coming Easter Season.

Who is My Neighbor?

Whenever we are in need of hope and God's mercy, we only need to meditate on our Crucifix. The Cross is a symbol of our salvation and God's deep love for each of us. A few weeks ago, our Campus Ministers were busy preparing over a hundred Palm Crosses to distribute at their parish. The Palm crosses served both as a symbol of Palm Sunday and as a way for us to help support families in Africa. The crosses are made throughout the year in seven mud villages in Tanzania as a means to earn money for food and medical supplies. Additional funds were raised to also help stop the spread of Malaria. Malaria is a preventable disease through the use of malaria nets and medicine. Benedictine Academy is a school with a heart the size of the world. As we pray each morning, "Whatever hurts my sister, hurts me... and whatever helps my sister, helps us all. At BA, we believe that we are all part of God's family.