Salesian retreat buoyed AOL student in her faith

    Academy of Our Lady was among nine Salesian schools from across the province, which also included Archbishop Shaw, that attended a recent Salesian Leadership Retreat at Stony Point Retreat Center in New York.
    Since the mid-1980s, students from Immaculata and Archbishop Blenk (now Academy of Our Lady) and Shaw have participated in the retreats. Five current Academy of Our Lady faculty members attended the retreat as students at Immaculata.            
    When I was chosen by my peers and teachers to attend the March Leadership Retreat, I could not contain my excitement. I had heard so many great things about this retreat. I had seen other students attend and return changed. They seemed completely happy and filled with the Holy Spirit.
    The first two days of the experience was really awkward because you hear about loving every single person that attends the retreat. I wondered how it was possible to love over 80 people in just four days. Once I attended adoration, I really opened up to everyone on the retreat and became much more confident about making new friends. Gradually, everyone did this, and by the fourth day, no one wanted to leave.
    This retreat has taught me a few things about myself that I was avoiding, specifically my flaws. However, I realize by accepting these flaws, I am able to work on my weaknesses to become the model of Christ that I am called to be. Before the retreat, I was feeling lonely and somewhat unhappy with myself, but through adoration, Mass and confession, I  realized that I should never feel lonely because God is always there to love and hold me.
    The main focus of this retreat was to improve our leadership skills as Salesians. I realized that while everyone has his or her own struggles and busy schedules, “God only gives the toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
    I gained some much-needed skills of compassion and understanding from this retreat. I feel as though these newly found skills are going to help me be more considerate of the people that I lead.
    Leadership has a new definition for me – service to others. Leaders are meant to serve the people that they lead, not the other way around, because “we were not made for comfort, we were made for greatness.”         
    Rebecca Melanson is a junior at  the Academy of Our Lady in Marrero.