Over the weekend, Marist ninth graders took on their first overnight retreat: the Genesis Retreat.

Since this event was the second session of the class of 2028’s Genesis Retreats, the ninth graders had a small idea of what to expect, but they didn’t know the impact they would leave with.

Boarding the buses at 10 a.m. on February 8, everyone headed to Camp Hidden Lake. The moderators made sure to collect everyone’s phones, allowing everyone to be present in the moment.

The workers of Camp Hidden Lake made the whole weekend special by providing everyone with good food and peaceful session spaces and allowing everyone to be moved by God. 

At the arrival, leaders and retreatants dropped off their things in their dorms and headed to lunch. After lunch and after the expectations for the weekend were laid out, the ninth graders learned their small groups and headed off to session 1.

Each session guided the retreatants through the different relationships and gifts in their lives. The first session explored the relationship with oneself, the second session was about the relationship with friends, and the third session explored the relationship with family. 

Session four dove into walking with God, which allowed the retreatants to reflect on how God has guided them to this very moment. Session 5 went a bit deeper with life’s ups and downs, where retreatants were asked to share their most positive and negative experiences so far in life.

The final session was affirmations, where the retreatants could reflect on their experiences during the retreat and how the small group created space for them to get to know one another on a deeper level.

But it wasn’t just session after session. Retreatants and leaders engaged in icebreakers to get to know each other, played games such as dodgeball and sardines, and ate smores around a campfire singing songs.

If any rising ninth graders are looking for a space to explore the different gifts of their lives while having the best weekend ever, Genesis is the perfect place.