Faith • Community • Leadership
Retreats That Inspire Faith, Character, and Community
At Pope John Paul II High School, retreats are an essential part of every student's spiritual journey. Rooted in the teachings and charism of Pope St. John Paul II, our retreats provide meaningful opportunities to grow in faith, build lasting relationships, reflect on personal values, and discover God's presence in everyday life. Each retreat experience is thoughtfully designed to help students pursue truth, act virtuously, and become compassionate leaders within their communities.
Introduction
A Transformative Journey of Faith
Retreats at Pope John Paul II High School offer students dedicated time away from daily routines to pray, reflect, and connect more deeply with God and one another. Guided by peer and adult leaders, students encounter an environment of trust, support, and authentic conversation that encourages spiritual growth and personal discovery.
Centered on the school's three foundational educational pillars Pursuing Truth, Acting Virtuously, and Building Community each retreat invites students to explore their Catholic identity, strengthen relationships, and embrace lives of faith-filled service and leadership.
Freshman Retreat
Building Community
“None of us is alone in this world; each of us is a vital piece of the great mosaic of humanity as a whole.”
Pope John Paul II, Israel-Palestine – 9/22/1999
“It is especially for you, young people, to take on the great task of building a society where there will be more justice and solidarity.”
Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day VI – 8/15/1990
The Freshman Retreat welcomes students into the Pope John Paul II community and helps them begin their high school journey with a strong sense of belonging. Through prayer, group activities, and reflection, freshmen explore what it means to be both an individual person of faith and an active member of a caring community.
Students are encouraged to recognize their unique gifts, appreciate the importance of relationships, and embrace the call to become "persons for others" through kindness, service, and compassion.
Sophomore Retreat
Acting Virtuously
“…make your generous and responsible contribution to the constant building up of the Church as a family, a place of dialogue and mutual acceptance, a space of peace, mercy and pardon.”
Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day XII“Through her example, may (Most Holy Mary) encourage you to be in the new millennium announcers of hope, love and peace!”
Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day XV – 8/15/2000
The Sophomore Retreat challenges students to consider how faith shapes their decisions and actions. As young adults navigating a complex world, sophomores reflect on the virtues that guide their relationships within their families, school, Church, and wider communities.
Through meaningful discussions and prayer experiences, students are encouraged to live with integrity, demonstrate compassion, and courageously choose values rooted in faith, even when they differ from the messages of popular culture.
Junior Retreat
Faith and Prayer
“Freedom is not the ability to do anything we want, whenever we want. Rather, freedom is the ability to live responsibly the truth of our relationship with God and one another.”
Pope John Paul II, Saint Louis, Missouri – 1/26/1999“In prayer you become one with the source of our true light, Jesus Himself.”
Pope John Paul II, Saint Louis, Missouri – 1/26/1999
The Freshman Retreat welcomes students into the Pope John Paul II community and helps them begin their high school journey with a strong sense of belonging. Through prayer, group activities, and reflection, freshmen explore what it means to be both an individual person of faith and an active member of a caring community.
Students are encouraged to recognize their unique gifts, appreciate the importance of relationships, and embrace the call to become "persons for others" through kindness, service, and compassion.
Senior Retreat
Courageous Leadership
“Call out to Jesus to remain with you always along the many roads to Emmaus of our time. May He be your strength, your point of reference, your enduring hope!”
Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day XII“The human person, created in the image and likeness of God, cannot become a slave to things, to economic systems, to technological civilization, to consumerism, to easy success.”
Pope John Paul II, Pozan, Poland – 6/3/1997
As seniors prepare for life beyond high school, this retreat offers a valuable opportunity to pause, reflect, and discern their next steps. Removed from the pressures of college applications, career decisions, and upcoming transitions, students are invited to consider how faith equips them for leadership and service.
The Senior Retreat encourages students to draw upon their experiences of truth, virtue, and community at Pope John Paul II High School and carry those lessons into the future. It is a time to embrace the call to courageous leadership and to live as faithful witnesses in a changing world.
