Dear Parents,
Thank you so much for allowing your child to attend this weekend’s retreat! It’s going to be an amazing experience! It will be held at St Jude (1120 4 Mile Rd NE) with registration beginning at 8:00 on Friday evening and will conclude at 2:00 Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday evening each student is given a bag full of “pilankas.” These are basically letters written by team, family, and friends to that student. The goal is to give them a bag full of letters expressing love and support. The students do not know about this until they receive them. They can be mailed to the parish prior to the weekend (addressed to me), dropped off at the parish office, or given to a team member when you drop off the student on Friday. We can take them as late as noon on Saturday, so if you have a letter you want to get in last minute, don’t hesitate to bring it to us during the retreat. We want them to receive as many letters from as many people as possible. It means so much to them! If you have family that would prefer to send the pilanka to me, they can submit them HERE. If you are going to send it electronically, please do so by Friday night. Use this as opposed to emailing them to me.
The students will be sleeping at the parish. There will be separate areas designated for the boys and the girls.
Please send your student with a 2 liter of pop or juice.
IF YOUR STUDENT IS BRINGING A SNACK, PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY PEANUT OR TREE NUT PRODUCTS. WE HAVE A FEW ATTENDEES THAT ARE *VERY* ALLERGIC.
A huge part of the weekend is taking ourselves out of the typical craziness of life and retreating to a time of reflection and community. Cell phones/texting/social media etc. hinder that greatly! We encourage students to keep them at home. Understandably, you may need to contact your student if something comes up during the weekend. I will always have my cell phone charged and on me. If you need to reach them, please call me instead (616-560-8107). I will make sure you get in touch with them.
Lastly, on Sunday at 2PM your family is invited to join us for a short closing ceremony. This gives students a chance to share their experience of the weekend. We invite all family and friends to join us for this. It means a lot to them that you attend. I also appreciate the chance to meet you.
HERE is a packing list for the retreat. You can also find Antioch FAQs HERE!
If you have any questions, please give me a call. God bless you and your families!
In His Grip,
Sue Wuorinen, St Jude/St Isidore
(Brittany Renne, All Saints Academy/St Alphonsus. Cassie Haskin, St Patrick Parnell. Brandy Holt, St Mary Magdalene)