17 November 2025 · 2025-11 newsletter
During the second week of the school holidays, on Tuesday 7th October and Wednesday 8th October, two groups of girls gathered at the Home of Light at Mount Schoenstatt for the “Girls Day out at the Shrine”. Both days were amazing and were filled with much joy, laughter, fun, games, prayers, and song. The first group were mainly 15- and 16-year-olds while the second group was made up of girls between 10-14 years of age. Many of the girls have been to one of these day events before but there were still a few who were at Mount Schoenstatt for the very first time. These young girls were particularly impressed by the Shrine and how much fun they had. They promised to be back with their friends next time.
As October is the month of the Holy Rosary this was the theme of each day. The day started with a few icebreaker games and songs. Sr. M. Rita with the assistance of some young women, delivered the input sessions and facilitated the small group discussions. The girls were invited to look closely at three events in Scripture, from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Annunciation, the Visitation and the Nativity). After some discussion the girls were able to draw out some conclusions on what these passages tell us about who the Blessed Mother was and identify the different qualities that she possessed. From this long list they were then asked to choose three characteristics that they liked about Mary that they want to strive to imitate in their own lives. The next task was to connect all the different mysteries of the Holy Rosary together. The final session was probably the most enjoyable and brought about the most laughter. In pairs the girls were asked to act out one of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary for the others to guess. It was wonderful to experience the girls being so creative and really investing themselves in this roleplaying.
After lunch and some free time, the first group went for a Rosary bushwalk while the second group opted to pray the Rosary indoors as they were too hot and tired after playing a very lively soccer match in their free time.
Next on the schedule was time for craft. Everyone enjoyed the simple task of creating a rosary picture using coloured tissue paper. Again, it was beautiful to see the girls really taking pride in their work and producing wonderful pieces of artwork. Many girls at the end of the day mentioned this as being the highlight of the day as it had given them an opportunity to talk to the leaders or Sr. M. Rita in a relaxed atmosphere and to ask them some questions.
The day ended with prayers and singing in the Shrine. The girls were invited to write a personal letter to the Blessed Mother recalling the characteristics they loved about Mary and asking her to help them to endeavour to imitate her and her virtues.
Once again, the “Girls Day Out at the Shrine” was a very fruitful, blessed and enjoyable time for everyone involved. The girls were able to connect with other like-minded young girls in a welcoming, relaxed and prayerful atmosphere and to learn more about Mary and about themselves at the same time.
The next event for young girls will be the “Summer Camp”. These are scheduled for:
- Ages 14-17 years: Monday 12th – Wednesday 14th January
- Ages 10-13 years: Thursday 15th – Saturday 17th January
Young women aged 15+ are welcome to stay from Sunday 11th – Sunday 18th January or stay for a few of these days to assist as volunteers or leaders. The flyer will be released soon but in the meantime, you can contact Sr. M. Rita for more details.
Filed underNewsletter · Youth