Retreat allows for connection with God

By Damita Whiteley

In strengthening their own relationship with God, Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) teachers can have greater confidence to share this with their students.

CET held Early Career Teaching Retreats in the North and the South of the state at the beginning of December, creating the space and time in the busy schedules of new teachers to learn and reflect.

The retreats provided the opportunity for participants to deepen their connection with God, and allowed them to maintain their Accreditation B, which is a requirement for teaching in a Catholic school.

“If you have experienced God in your life in some way and have conviction in that, you will have the confidence to share that with your students,” Catholic Identity and Evangelisation Administration Officer, Eilidh Direen, said.

Leah Wheeler has been teaching Grade 1-2 students for the past three years at St Thomas More’s Catholic School in Newstead, and she found the retreat personally beneficial. 

“It is a time in my life where I am personally questioning everything that is happening around me, so it is nice to just be still for a while and take it all in,” she said.

“It is also highly important to learn as much as you can about the Catholic system so you can better teach it in your school.”

The retreats were held at the Emmanuel Centre in Launceston and at St Mary’s Cathedral in the South.

The proceedings of the day involved engagement with the Catholic faith through stories, art, scripture and mass, along with opportunities for personal prayer and reflection.

“We hope that each participant leaves with a greater sense of their own dignity and worth in the eyes of God and the Church, with the Church being not just an organisation but all of us, and that they have the security to go forward and make disciples of their students,” Eilidh said.