The 2020-2021 LVs gathered for the virtual Midyear Retreat from Friday, January 15 through Sunday, January 17. Samantha Almanza-Stabile, LV 09-11, and Chris Hueg, LV 11-13, facilitated this year’s retreat. The LVs’ time together focused on discernment, weaving in De La Salle’s discernment questions and inviting the LVs to connect with nature.
Over the course of the three days, the LVs gathered for prayer, small group time and socials. Almanza-Stabile and Hueg creatively organized and facilitated the retreat for the LVs who were gathered. This is the second virtual retreat Almanza-Stabile and Hueg facilitated for LVs. They first facilitated the 2020 Debriefing Retreat in a virtual setting.
First-year LV Kelsey Morrisson, who is serving at San Miguel High School in Tucson, Arizona, shared, “Despite being virtual, Midyear Retreat was an energizing and restorative weekend for me as a volunteer! It was incredible coming together with the rest of my cohort and other Lasallians to reflect on the past few months and recharge for the upcoming semester.”
At the start of the second day, Hueg shared with the LVs, “The use of nature and plants in our theme for the weekend can help us to better understand and apply our discernment journey in a variety of ways. We can see God’s beauty all around us, and even in scripture, Jesus points us toward reflection and thought that helps us to better see ourselves in the world and what decisions to make.
This cohort of LVs has yet to spend time together in-person, however, the community they have built and created since they first gathered virtually in July 2020 has sustained them. While spending the weekend on Zoom is less than ideal, they realize the importance of this uninterrupted time together. Throughout the weekend, LVs were encouraged to get out in nature, away from the computer, to discern their next steps, taking time to reflect on various questions Almanza-Stabile and Hueg posed. These included, “Where did you plant your seeds this year?” “How have you helped to water the seeds of your community members?” “Your students or clients?”
Second-year LV Daniel Walton, who is serving at San Miguel School in Chicago, Illinois, shared, “It was great to see and feel the connection our cohort has developed, despite our distance and difficulty of the year.”
The 2020-2021 LVs will gather for one final time as a cohort for the annual Debriefing Retreat from May 28-31, 2021. At this time, the program has not made a decision on whether or not they will gather in person for this retreat.
If you’re interested in becoming an LV or know someone who might be, visit our website www.LasallianVolunteers.org to learn more about the application process.