Morning of Reflection in Brazil

Today in Brazil, our students accompanied the Colegio Santa Ursula students to Mass and during a morning of activity and reflection. Because Colegio Santa Ursula does not offer formal Theology classes, the students have special times of retreat and reflection throughout the year such as this morning.

The students began the lesson in a spacious class room where they were given a paper mask to wear and then instructed to dance with each other. After completing the dancing students could remove their masks and then learned about the purpose of the opening activity – everyone wears figurative “masks” each day, masks which change with your current environment and reflect your inner attitudes at that time.

Next the students engaged in an art project with very simple instructions: create a poster of your name and decorate it in any way you choose using a wide variety of art supplies.  Once the name posters were finished, students took a break while the teachers hung the posters in another room.

Students returned from the break to watch a short animation titled La Luna. The discussion afterward helped students realize the video’s message, that everyone has to find their own personality and who you are meant to be.  Students moved into a prayer room where Sr. Helenice referred back to the day’s gospel and homily about everyone being both the salt and the light. She talked about how teens often don’t think about their lives, what they mean or how precious they are. We should not take our lives for granted and must take time to connect with both other people and nature.

The final part of the lesson took place in the name gallery (the room in which all the name posters had been hung on the walls). Students located their name, focused on it and spent time just looking at it while blocking out anything else in the room. Students then held a group discussion about the feelings they experienced while looking at their names. Students shared what they had learned, such as that one’s name can represent one’s entire history and is more connected to who you are inside than anyone had realized.

What a wonderful morning!

After Mass