On 24th July, 2025, the Religion students of Std 5 and 6 had a spiritual session with Fr. Joyston in the Conference Hall from 8:45 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. The theme for the retreat, ‘Jesus the Forever Friend’, acted as a means for children to strengthen their connection with Jesus.
The session started with a prayer asking God to be with them throughout the session. Fr. Joyston had an action song, ‘It’s a Great Day to Praise the Lord’, for the children. The children were given a worksheet on Jesus My Forever Friend. The action song ‘Telephone to Jesus’ helped children realize the importance of speaking to Jesus whenever they needed help.
Fr. Joyston emphasized the story of Zacchaeus and how he became a friend of Jesus. The next self-reflection activity involved What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD) and how we need to follow in His footsteps. The importance of confession and its steps were told to the students, and they were encouraged to incorporate it in their time preparing for confession.
The Five-Finger Guide given on how a confession needs to be done acted as a guideline for students during the time of recollection. The way in which a priest maintains confidentiality of any information shared during confession grabbed the attention of many children.
The retreat ended with a meaningful confession, where children followed the steps, and the Mass was celebrated by Fr. Joyston. The retreat acted as a means for deepening our connection with Jesus as well as learning the meaningful way of reconciliation.