Ampleforth College

Each student has at least two opportunities throughout each year to spend a day on retreat, away from the usual rhythm of the school day in order to better foster this prayerful listening.  The October retreat is organised on a house basis, with plenty of scope for variety and innovation.

In 2008, for example, several of the houses chose to focus on the life and example of local or house saints. St.Cuthbert’s made a pilgrimage to Lastingham, to the shrine of saints Cedd and Chad and St. Edward’s-Wilfrid’s visited the birthplace of Blessed Nicholas Postgate, whilst St.Hugh’s and St.Thomas’ focused on the life of their house saint, using drama and music.

Community was the theme of both St. Dunstan’s and St. Aidan’s retreat, where the students looked at their house community in the light of the Rule and the Gospel. Students in St. John’s and St.Bede’s focused on vocation and the universal call to holiness with St.Bede’s particularly considering role models for women in the church as well as visiting Rievaulx Abbey. St Oswald’s devised, scripted and filmed presentations on the life of Jesus, and for St. Margaret’s it was a day of service with groups of students working on a number of projects from conservation work to baking cakes for the monks in the infirmary.