15 years — and counting! Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and Viatorians are part of the celebration.
Viatorians were among the founding religious communities to financially back Cristo Rey St. Martin when it opened in 2004, and they continue to support the school and its mission of providing a college prep education to students and families of limited means.
More than 90 seniors from the Class of 2019 pose for a photo mid-way during their retreat. (Jim Dippold)
One tangible way is by welcoming the senior class each year to the Viatorian Province Center for their day of reflection. The tradition started 10 years ago, with 40 students on the retreat, and this year it numbered more than 90.
Fr. Dan Hall, CSV, Provincial, met the seniors when they arrived. He encouraged them to see their upcoming graduation “not as a destination but as a doorway to the future.” Fr. Hall also reminded the seniors of all of the prayers and support they have from the extended Viatorian Community, especially from Fr. John Milton, CSV, a science advisor to the school who joined them for part of the retreat.
At the outset, seniors reflected on Luke’s gospel story of the disciples discovering Christ on the road to Emmaus, and the fact that they talked along the way but they did not recognize him until they sat down, shared stories and broke bread that the risen Christ had been with them all the while.
“As a group, we realized that the Province Center was our stopping point along the journey,” said Jim Dippold, Campus Minister. “It was an opportunity to step back, share pictures and stories from the past four years and recognize God’s presence and goodness in all the holy moments of grace and growth along the way.”
Each student designed a tile to capture where they found God’s goodness along their journey. (Photo by Jim Dippold)
Students then created a tile project that will hang in their new school building, alongside of the previous 10 murals. The vibrant display contains a tile from each student, expressing where they have found God’s goodness along the journey.
The retreat closed with a Taizé prayer liturgy in the Province Center Chapel, where students and faculty alike experienced God’s peace and love, through prayer and music, before the hectic few weeks of graduation celebrations and transitions to college and life beyond CRSM.