Strong foundation makes strong building. With this in mind, every year, we at St. Thomas Church, Jalahalli conduct a special three-day retreat exclusively for our Catechism Students. Through this retreat we are trying to help our children to develop the habit of setting aside a few days to be spent exclusively for their spiritual well-being. During the month of May, in preparation for the good retreat, the Catechism Teachers especially pray for the Children’s Retreat seeking blessings of the Holy Spirit on every child so that they may grow in wisdom and age, in Divine and Human Favour.

This year the retreat was held from 27-29 May 2018, guided by Fr. Francis Putthenthayil and assisted by Br. Dilon, Sr. Jaya Mary, Sr. Navya Rose and Jesus Youth Team. The retreat was held in different groups and different sessions for the students of II-XII Std. Over 300 students participated in the retreat. This was about 30% increase in participation in the retreat when compared to last year.                 

The retreat not only focused on the spiritual nourishment but also moral and psychological formation of young minds. The students were divided into different groups based on their study level and age-appropriate topics were discussed. Sessions were held on the importance of personal prayer, Rosary, Bible reading, obedience to parents, peer-pressure, excessive use of electronic gadgets, and social networking sites and the effects of the same, spiritual warfare, lack of repentance, how to lead a faithful life after Catechism etc. To make the sessions more lively there was praise and worship, songs and dance and spiritual sharing by the Jesus Youth Members. Sr. Navy Rose and Sr. Jaya Mary who are trained counselors also provided special counseling sessions for the children. The retreat ended with special hands on blessing for every child.                                     

A separate session was also held exclusively for the parents of the students. Nearly 350 parents actively participated in the retreat. Orientation was provided to parents and the importance of involving children in daily chores from a young age was emphasized. Importance of reading habits, outdoor games, cultivating healthy eating habits in children was also discussed. Ways to overcome restlessness in children and the importance of making them be-independent at the right time was also discussed during this retreat.