A few weeks ago, a select group of people from organizations in the Jesuit community, such as Diversity, Campus Ministry, Student Council, and Community Service, embarked on a journey to the Catholic Conference and Formation Center in Dallas for the annual Jesuit leadership retreat. The goal of the retreat was to help the people from these groups step up and grow as everyday leaders in the community. They strove to learn the values of Christian leadership, and they also learned how to apply their skills in their organizations at Jesuit.
This retreat was run by some of the leading faculty members in Campus Ministry. In the words of sophomore theology teacher Mr. DuRoss, it “encouraged growth” and helped them to be “aware of opportunities to let them put into practice their leadership skills.” It was also an opportunity for the students who attended the retreat to “take ownership of Campus Ministry and step into leadership roles.”
Sophomore Alex Hernandez said that the retreat was an opportunity to “discuss thecharacteristics of a leader,” and “[they] also discussed group plans for next year.” The participants were in one room for most of the day, and one of the leaders or proctors from each of the groups would make a presentation on one of the characteristics of a leader. The four major characteristics that were discussed and presented were that a leader communicates well, strives for balance, pursues a vision, and is an example for his peers.
In all of the activities throughout the day, the students got to know each other a little bit more through icebreakers. Because they were separated into tables by the organization they belonged to, the students would have discussions over topics with those in their respective groups, and each group would have a representative that would share what they had to say about each discussion. In addition, that person could help explain the situations where a leader was needed.
Overall, the Campus Ministry leadership retreat was a great experience for all of those involved. This unique event allowed for the students involved to grow as leaders in their extra-curricular groups and in Jesuit as a whole.
