Freshman Retreat

The Freshman Retreat kicks off each school year, occurring the first few Monday's of the year.

Staffed by campus ministers, faculty, and senior leaders (known as "Big Reds"), the retreat aims to welcome our newest Pioneers to the Saint John's community, and to introduce the freshman class to Xaverian spirituality and service.

The retreat typically takes place both on campus in Shrewsbury, and off campus at a designated retreat center.

Storm

Based on the stories of the 'Storm at Sea' and the 'Walking on Water,' the Sophomore Retreat, commonly known as 'Storm' aims to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on, discuss, and pray over the 'stormy places' in their lives. 

Conducted off-campus and led by campus ministers, faculty, and selected senior leaders, Storm provides opportunities for guided meditation, large group presentations, small group discussions, retreat-related games, recreation, and nourishment.

Kairos

Open to juniors and seniors, Kairos is a highly-effective and popular four-day retreat offered at numerous high schools and universities across the nation. The retreat focuses on students' relationships with self, others, and God. 

Kairos is staffed by campus ministers, faculty, and selected senior leaders.  The senior leaders give all major presentations on the retreat (Life Graph, Friendship, Love, God's Friendship, Obstacles to God's Friendship, Living the 4th, etc.); campus ministers and faculty leaders facilitate small group discussion following each major presentation, and also lead retreatants in morning, evening, and night prayer each day. 

Various other activities related to the Kairos themes are also included throughout the days of retreat, together with ample time for rest and recreation. 

Most recently, Saint John's has offered Kairos at the Craigville Retreat and Conference Center on the Cape. 

SJLI (Saint John's Leadership Institute)

Offered prior to the start of school each August, SJLI attracts almost three-quarters of the incoming senior class and, in effect, is both a retreat and a unique bonding experience for students immediately prior to senior year. 

Over the course of four days, SJLI aims both to assist the incoming senior class in developing the perceptions and skills necessary to lead the student body for the coming year, and to help our rising seniors hone their discernment and decision-making skills as they enter a truly pivotal year for themselves, a year in which they are called upon to make decisions that affect the very course of their lives.

P-Cubed (Pizza, Pioneers, and Prayer)

Held on the first Wednesday of each month, P-Cubed provides an ‘evening of retreat’ to any Saint John’s student who wishes to attend and often draws about 150 students per meeting, from a wide cross-section of social circles.

Beginning with some snacks, those gathered adjourn to the Salem Student Commons for prayer and music, and to hear a personal large-group presentation by an upperclassman on a given topic, the topic changing each month. The crowd is then broken into small groups, where each Pioneer is invited to share his own life experiences as related to the topic. The large group reconvenes for additional prayer and a closing song. The event ends with a shared meal before dismissal.  

Each evening of P-Cubed is coordinated by a team of student leaders and a campus minister. For more information please reach out to members of the Campus Ministry team.