Eighth grade retreat addresses transition into high school

As 200 eighth graders gathered for a special retreat geared toward their upcoming transition to high school, they were told to “Be open to the conversations.” That’s good advice for the retreat and for high school.

“I want you to leave your expectations at the door,” said Adam Jarosz as a way of welcoming. “Clear off the slate a little bit.”

Jarosz, founder of Righteous Co., and Nicole Janecek, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville, led the March 28 event at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Orchard Park.

In the first of two talks, Jarosz explained that we are in the middle of a Jubilee Year, a period of forgiveness and renewal.

“Pope Francis has labeled this a Year of Hope, and this is a great spot to be in at your age, because there is a lot of hope in front of us,” he said. “And it’s not just because of the mechanics of where we find ourselves as a Church or it’s not just some tagline that looks good on a sheet of paper. But we are people of hope because Jesus has given us hope. He gives us joy. There’s a radical difference to what it means to say that you’re a Christian and what it means to be sleepy in that. There’s ownership to that where we sit here and say, ‘Hey, God is good.’”

The jubilee, which happens every 25 years, is a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. Traditionally, it involves the forgiveness of debts and the return of misappropriated land.

“It was a resetting of society, a resetting of hearts,” Jarosz explained. “Fast forward to today. A lot of times we find ourselves still a slave to things that keep us under. Sometimes it’s electronics. Sometimes it’s stress, anxiety. Sometimes it’s the weight of our hearts. Maybe it’s our family situation. There’s a lot of things that can hold you under. You’re probably thinking about some of those things right now. Maybe you’re coming in from that. But this is a year of hope.”

Janecek, who is getting married soon, understood the kids’ concern about undergoing a transition. The experiences in middle school – good, bad or just OK – will have no bearing on their high school life. 

“No matter what your experience in middle school is now, the reality is high school is going to look different,” she said during a second talk. “You’re going to face different things. You had highs that were great in middle school. You had lows in middle school. I was in middle school once. I remember. It was a weird time.”

Meeting new friends while possibly losing their old ones, was a major concern of the teens, along with navigating a new school building, meeting different teachers, and meeting the new expectations of themselves.

The key to success, Janacek said, is building a firm foundation.

“What is that sturdy thing in your life that will be the constant when things change?” she asked, adding that storms will come at them, some so bad they will get knocked down. “High school is going to test you. It is going to challenge you. It is going to shake your foundation. So why would you want to make a foundation that is sand? When you have a rock who literally never changes.”

She asked if their foundation with Christ was strong enough to withstand the inevitable storm.

Sarah Leahy, youth minister for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, served as one of the small group discussion leaders. She saw the kids come out of their shell during the discussions after each talk.

“By the time we got to Nicole’s session, they had a lot to say about fears and hopes and what they are looking forward to, and frankly, leaving behind and what they’re looking forward to going to and what they’re nervous about missing.”

St. Benedict’s in Eggertsville, one of 13 participating schools, sent their entire eighth grade class. 

“I’m glad we did it,” said Leo Shult, one of the students. “I learned how to be closer to God and learned how high school is a challenge, but how to get ready for it.”

Bishop Michael W. Fisher celebrated Mass for the teens. He called the retreat a good time to “step back and take inventory of where they are going and where they are.”

The retreat was sponsored by the Diocesan Department of Catholic Schools, which hopes to ingrain retreats into the school curriculum.

“We hope to grow retreat experiences and this type of atmosphere, that they become more comfortable talking about their faith, talking with others, and sharing their experiences,” said Julie Gajewski, assistant superintendent of academics for Catholic Schools.