Time for reflection at Belfast Pastoral Centre

As another school year draws to an end at La Salle Pastoral Centre Belfast, it’s time to reflect, just as we daily encourage our retreatants to do. Through the help of God, we have had a great diversity of young people over the door, from ten and eleven year olds preparing for Confirmation and Transition to a new school, to the year 14s getting ready to embark on third level education or the world of work.

At the beginning of each year we look at the retreat themes, adjusting them for the particular needs of the group coming to us. However, this year some of the retreats needed a complete overhaul. The stresses and pressures which we’d expect in the formal exam classes seems to have pushed down to the younger years. With some, it is study work, but for many more it appears to be pressures from outside influences, compromising their confidence and self esteem.

Our Year 9 (13 year olds) and Year 10 (14 year olds) retreat plans needed the most radical adjustments. We changed the Yr 9 programme to ‘Faith is a Verb’, stemming from the Great Commandments: love God and love your neighbour….’they’ll know we are Christians by our love’.

Using John 13, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, we concentrated on the small kindnesses we can do for others, from smiling, being friendly, including everyone and praying for them. It was important to emphasise that ‘faith is a verb’ is really how we are at home with our family, our friends and everyone we meet, making sure we spread God’s love to the margins.

In the afternoon session we encouraged each young person to concentrate on one particular act of kindness they could do and how the benefits of these acts affect others. A butterfly and ripple effect represented the single act of kindness as it ripples onwards.

Whatever way the young people come into the pastoral centre, we endeavour to make them feel at home, relaxed and listened to, giving them the space to stop, think and know that they are loved by God.