Building spirituality through Catholic Consortium Retreat

Frassati Catholic Academy in Wauconda was buzzing with excitement as students filed into the gym for a joint retreat with other Lake County Catholic elementary schools.

The Frassati eighth-grade class hosted the daylong retreat for first- to seventh-graders from the four Catholic schools that comprise the Catholic Consortium of Lake County: Transfiguration Catholic Elementary School, St. Mary of the Annunciation School, Santa Maria del Popolo School, and Frassati Catholic Academy.

Eighth-graders began the retreat with shouts of "God is Good" … "All the Time", repeated by the younger students waiting to be assigned to small groups.

According to Michael Marti, an eighth-grade leader, the theme for the retreat - "Open Wide the Twelve Doors to Christ" - was chosen by Fr. Ron Lewinski, President of Frassati Catholic Academy. Through a series of small group activities, students talked about different ways to become closer to Christ, in addition to prayer and going to church. Marti said that "the retreat took about five months to plan" and his favorite part of the retreat was "working with the young kids".

Every 15 minutes, the students moved to a new classroom for activities organized and run by the eighth grade leaders. Students discovered that you can become closer to Christ through music, art, games, and learning about the saints. Fr. Lewinski talked to the students about the importance of developing a relationship and friendship with Christ that will last throughout your lifetime.

In September 2010, Frassati Catholic Academy opened its doors to sixth- to eighth-graders. The three elementary schools that comprise the Catholic Consortium of Lake County converted to PK – 5 to allow the schools to focus on early childhood and elementary education needs. On Friday, April 20, the schools came together for their first "all school" retreat to further the mission of building a Frassati Spirituality, which calls for "an all-pervasive spirit that reaches far and deep into the minds and hearts of the Frassati community". Through this retreat, the eighth-graders brought this spirit alive and shared it with the younger students. Over 500 students, faculty and staff participated in the retreat.