On Thursday, November 2^nd, and Friday, November 3^rd, the IHA senior class traveled to The Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center in Kearny, NJ for their senior retreat. Mrs. Adamo, Ms. Boland, Ms. Kunnapas, Ms. Braden, Mrs. Kruk, Ms. Gansley, and Ms. McNulty accompanied the girls on their overnight trip. The retreat was planned, organized, and run by Mrs. Shutrop, Director of Campus Ministry.

In the midst of the seniors’ overwhelming academic workloads, time-consuming extracurricular activities, and the stressful college application process, they were thankful to find time to reflect on God’s place in their lives.

The theme of the retreat was “Unlikely Futures,” reminding the seniors that God might have a plan for them that may not align with the plan they currently have for themselves. Seniors reflected on that fact that God’s plan will be even better than their own plan, if they can just learn to trust in God and build a loving relationship with Him.

The girls participated in a variety of activities, such as Eucharistic Adoration, reading letters from their loved ones, listening to inspiring speakers, attending mass, and participating in reflective e

Pictured above is the Sacred Heart Chapel at The Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center in Kearny, NJ. Photo courtesy of https://newarkoym.com/shchapelproject

xercises with their classmates.

The seniors had the privilege of being the first class to have some of their favorite music provided for them throughout the retreat that they typically hear during IHA masses. Mrs. Kruk provided the music for the seniors, which included “Sound of the Saints” by Audio Adrenaline and “Lord, I Need You” by Matt Maher.

When asked about her personal experience on the retreat, Heather Farrell’18 explained, “The Senior retreat was something weall needed right now, especially because of the college process. The majority of us don’t know where we’ll be spending the next four years, and that’s scary, but knowing that God has amazing plans for us, greater than what we could ever imagine, is comforting. God will always provide for us, and will put us at the right school.”

On behalf of the IHA community, we hope that the seniors had an eye-opening, peaceful retreat that strengthened their relationship with God.

By: Emily Koehne’18, Senior Editor-in-Chief