The Year 8 Retreat, The Hero Within, invited our students to journey through the life and faith of St. Maximilian Kolbe while reflecting on their own call to courage and service.
Throughout the day, students moved through a series of “stations” that linked Kolbe’s life experiences to practical activities and prayer. These stations highlighted Kolbe’s courage in facing illness, his trust in God through persecution, his missionary zeal, and his ultimate sacrifice of love.
Students described the retreat as both fun and deeply meaningful. Alicia reflected, “It was a very engaging and fun experience. I learnt so much and enjoyed the time.” For Deegan, learning about Kolbe’s faith and sacrifice had a personal impact: “The retreat was really good — I think learning about Maximilian Kolbe really helped me reflect.”
Many students spoke about the way the retreat connected faith with friendship. Lauren shared, “I enjoyed being able to learn about Kolbe’s life and connecting his faith journey to mine. I felt it was a great experience and I loved being able to connect with my peers at the same time.”
The day was also a chance to appreciate Kolbe’s ongoing impact. As Kara said, “I’m glad to have gotten the opportunity to learn more about Maximilian Kolbe’s life and sacrifices while being alongside my peers that I may not have known before this experience.”
The Hero Within showed that Kolbe’s legacy is not only about sacrifice, but also about inspiring young people to live with courage, trust, and hope.
