Your Catholic School Retreat – A Break from the Ordinary
At Orange Springs Retreat Center, we are here to serve you and provide you with exclusive use of our entire facility. We will gladly host your next catholic private school retreats, giving your students a break from the ordinary and letting them experience the extraordinary. Our retreat center, located in the gently rolling hills at the edge of the Ocala National Forest and on the shores of a spring-fed lake, is the perfect place for a retreat. Retreats are the act of pulling back or withdrawing from the hectic, fast-paced life catholic students struggle with and manage every day. Retreats are powerful when they bring the right people together at the right time for the right reasons. They allow participants to step away from their day-to-day routines and see each other with a broader lens and a different perspective. Let’s discuss what makes a catholic school retreat unique from the ordinary.
What Makes Catholic Private School Retreats Unique?
- The commitment to lay aside day-to-day routines
- The promise to conduct extraordinary business
- The pledge to be fully present
- The assurance that all participants will step back, take stock, and think more broadly
- The agreement to share a sense of hallowed time
Location & Accommodations
- Off-site is better. Much better. Getting out of our typical environment helps to escape the temptations and distractions retreat participants face every day.
- When appropriate, stay overnight. Something magical happens when everyone can wake up and continue the work together.
- When staying overnight, make sure that participants have appropriate accommodations.
- Find a location that feels special. A place like Orange Springs Retreat Center can help participants open their hearts and minds.
Clarifying Everyone’s Roles
- Should you use an outside or internal facilitator?
- Who will handle logistics?
- Will different people lead activities?
- Which activities will be helpful?
When identifying these roles ahead of time, people can come prepared. A successful agenda prepared before the retreat is vital for a successful event
Components Of A Good Agenda
- Desired outcomes that are appropriate and clearly articulated
- Activities and processes that are directly or indirectly geared toward achieving your retreat goals.
- Meaty discussions. Retreats should be opportunities for objective thinking, not data dumping or rubber stamping
- Find ways to get everyone’s creative juices flowing by using different formats for dynamic conversations and artistic activities.
- Have fun. Make sure your activities work for the entire group and give multiple ways for people to connect and enjoy themselves.
- Flow. Have activities and topics build on one another.
- Space. Be flexible and allow time for new and unexpected things to happen. Let things percolate and be comfortable with discomfort. Even silence can yield rich results.
- Relationship building. Working together and playing together allows people to get to know one another.
A good agenda will make for a memorable experience for your catholic private school retreats. For instance, sitting in a circle is good and comfortable chairs are even better.
Benefits Of Our Catholic School Retreat
- Retreats have long-term effects
- Retreats provide peace away from your daily routines
- Being exposed to nature allows you to relax and unwind
- You’re surrounded by like-minded people
- You’ll have access to professional guidance
- You don’t have to worry about planning
With a clear focus, your retreat can bring out participants’ creativity and innovation that can be carried back to their everyday lives. Catholic private school retreats are essential for your student’s faith development. You should encourage everyone attending to use the retreat process to grow and put their faith into action. Orange Springs Retreat Center is where your Catholic Private School can do just about everything under the sun. Our serene, private, rustic location is heated and air-conditioned year-round.
Best Location for Catholic School Retreat in FL
We offer several various sized meeting rooms and a theatre equipped with an overhead projector ideal for lectures or movies. Participants can enjoy our canoes, paddleboats, and kayaks. There are indoor basketball courts, a soccer field, multiple volleyball courts, and even a beach volleyball court.
Check out our photo gallery, and you can see where Orange Springs Retreat Center really shines. If you want to finalize your involvement, contact us today to get started!
