A couple weeks ago, I shared the different ways groups can partner with us for retreat.
- Hosted Retreat - You come and bring your own programming
- Support Retreat - Camino provides activities between your schedule
- Camino Led Retreat - Camino handles all the programming for your group
This week featured all three types of retreats.
We had Gesu, Merion Mercy Academy, and CORA Services join us for single-day staff retreats.
And we had UrbanPromise bring their incoming 9th graders for an overnight retreat.
Today I’m going to show you what their days looked like, as well as introduce an upcoming women’s retreat coming next month.
Let’s dive in.
Gesu School
On Monday, we had Gesu School on campus for their Faculty & Staff Retreat Day.
Gesu School is an independent Catholic School, Pre-K to 8th grade, in the Jesuit and IHM traditions.
From their site:
“Gesu School helps students to transcend all forms of poverty by providing a comprehensive, innovative education. We empower our students to develop their strengths, overcome challenges, and become positive, engaged members of the community and the world.”
This was a perfect example of a Camino Hosted Retreat, where they brought their schedule and used our campus.
In between Mass, morning reflection, and their own programming, they had time from 11:30 to 1:00 to eat lunch and explore campus.
Some jumped in the pool, while others visited our animal therapy barn. But the time was meant for people to slow down and unwind as they pleased.
Afterward, we received this message from their team:
“Thank you for providing such a meaningful experience at Camino Farms for our Gesu team. The day certainly offered space and time for community building, reflection, and a much-needed slower pace from the city. What a serene place for our team to unwind and prepare for the upcoming school year!”
We are so grateful they enjoyed their day with us and can’t wait to have them back!
Merion Mercy
On Wednesday, the faculty and staff at Merion Mercy Academy joined us for a Camino Supported Retreat.
With mom and all of our sisters going to Merion, it’s always great having them on campus.
Joining us from 9:30 AM–2:30 PM, they jumped right into rotations upon arrival.
Everyone did one service activity plus two wellness activities.
The wellness activities included:
- pickleball
- art therapy
- yoga and mind movement
During art therapy, some of the faculty members were doing vision boards. When asked how it was going they mentioned how much it meant to have the time to reflect, and how they don’t always get to do this.
The service activities included:
- Animal therapy barn - pasturing hay and cleaning stalls
- Campus care - deep-scrubbing and prepping for operations
- Making Casseroles - 70 Casseroles for Sarnelli House in Kensington
Sarnelli House is a community kitchen that feeds roughly 1,000 people per week.
They serve people who are struggling with homelessness and addiction. Their service also extends to the Kensington community more broadly serving people who may be housing or food insecurity and looking for community.
To make the casseroles, we used eggs from the farm and our homemade alfredo sauce.
Merion’s motto of "Live Mercy. Seek Justice." is a driving force here at Camino.
It is a big reason we partner with mission-driven organizations and why we say “Our hospitality extends beyond the gates of Camino.”
Thank you, Merion Faculty and Staff, for joining (and helping) us this week!
And thanks to one of the staff members for the kind words about the experience:
“This was my first time experiencing Camino Farms in person, and the experience was truly inspiring — from the mission, to the activities, to the views (and oh what views they are!). It was truly an incredible day.”
UrbanPromise
This week also featured an overnight Orientation for the incoming Freshman enrolled at UrbanPromise in Camden, NJ.
UrbanPromise Camden equips children and young adults with the skills, character, and support to thrive academically, grow as leaders, and live with purpose. Rooted in Christian faith and long-term relationships, they offer education, after-school and summer programs, youth employment, and experiential learning.
For school, they intentionally keep their teacher to student ratio at 1 to 12. This lower ratio supports academic achievement and their relationship-based approach.
As for their programming, it was also Camino-Supported.
They brought their own orientation programming, and our counselors ran the rotations.
The students played a mix of games, spent time in the pool, and got out on the courts for pickleball and basketball.
They also explored the farm before closing out their night with a barbecue.
Thank you, UrbanPromise, for staying with us! And good luck to all the freshmen as they begin their high school journey!
Pause the Busy, Abide in Christ
On Wednesday, September 16, we're running a one-day retreat for women from 9:30 AM – 3 PM.
We will meet at the Padre Pio Shrine in Barto, Pa. which is 8 minutes from our Campus.
We will have Confession at 9:30 AM, followed by Mass at 10:30 AM.
From there, we will continue at Camino Farms for a simple lunch, followed by a short video, reflection, rest, and prayer.
The cost is $30 per person, which covers lunch, materials, and all retreat activities. Payment is collected the day of the retreat.
For those who wish to join, please RSVP by September 8.
Full details can be found on the retreat flyer here.
And you can find the registration form here.
Closing Thoughts
For our final retreat this week, we are currently hosting CORA Services for a Camino-Led Retreat.
Because they are still on campus with us, we will be sharing more about their day in next week’s email.
As Summer winds down, we are excited to host more groups for retreats.
In addition to the women’s single-day retreat, we have begun planning for more overnight weekend retreats that will be fully Camino-led.
As we have more details, I look forward to sharing with you.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out!
With Gratitude,
Katrina
Executive Director, Camino Farms
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