By: Grace Bailes

Even to many Catholics, the lives of consecrated men and women such as sisters or brothers go unnoticed and misunderstood. While nuns used to be found more in the classroom, less sisters are teaching, taking away the normality of consecrated religious and understanding of what their daily lives look like. 

Helias Catholic High School Campus Ministry department put together retreats, one for boys and one for girls, to give students an inside view of religious life as well as allow for better vocational discernment.

Girls of Helias Catholic were invited to embark on the Gower retreat. This was a weekend long retreat visiting the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Gower, Missouri. Six girls attended this retreat. Senior Ruth Cassmeyer attended the retreat for the second time, after also having gone sophomore year.

She said, “Gower was a really good time and lots of friendships were made. We spent the weekend in a beautiful retreat house and got to party with the nuns!”

Cassmeyer explained how the coolest part about visiting the convent was how the founder of the Benedictines of Mary is an incorrupt, meaning even years after her death, her body remains intact and isn’t decayed. This is moving her cause for canonization and sainthood, which, Cassmeyer said, was very cool to visit the site a future saint founded.

While at the convent, the Helias girls worked with the nuns. They also spent lots of time in fellowship with each other, as well as personal time in peaceful prayer. 

Cassmeyer said, “I enjoyed just having a relaxing weekend and being able to visit the beautiful site; the nature was really pretty out there.”

Helias Catholic will continue to host the Gower retreat open to freshman through senior girls every other year. 

Cassmeyer added, “I definitely recommend going on Gower to other people, even if you’re not discerning! It’s a nice break from reality just to get away from the real world.”