St Oswald’s Retreat 2011
Led by Fr Henry, the St Oswald’s House retreat focused on the Seven Sacraments. After driving to Hambleton, the retreat began with a short walk to John Bunting’s Chapel. There, Fr Henry celebrated Mass. After Mass, John Bunting’s son, Bernard, spoke to the boys about the history of the chapel. Following this, the boys began the long trek back to Ampleforth in Deanery groups. The walk was punctuated by seven stations for each of the seven sacraments. At each station the house sung a hymn and a student or member of the house team gave a short talk on what a particular sacrament meant to them personally. The stops took place in all manner of venues; from farmers’ fields, to roadsides and finally the grand ruins of Byland Abbey where the final station took place. After an ice cream and a drink, the house set off on the last leg of the journey home, across the fields to Ampleforth. Fr Henry had a large cross built for the retreat, and throughout the day, every boy spent a period carrying the cross. Hot chocolate and fish and chips met the boys when they eventually arrived home.