Retreats

Freshman Orientation Retreat

Before even a single day of classes, explorers take a day of retreat to connect with each other and to learn about their larger Marist community. Students will learn more about what it means to be called a Marist and learn about their fellow classmates. This retreat takes place before the school year begins and is offered to all members of the freshman class.

Students are automatically registered as part of their freshman orientation.

An overnight retreat for Freshmen

One of the most important pieces of their Columbus experience is the Brotherhood that exists between Explorers. This retreat allows freshmen students to find out on a personal level what it means to be a member of that Brotherhood, and to ask themselves what their contribution will be.

This retreat is a great opportunity for students to get to know each other, especially members of their class whom they might not have gotten to know otherwise.

Students on this retreat will have opportunities to meet each other in games, in prayer, and in discussion throughout the Brotherhood for Good retreat.

The dates for the 2025-26 school year are below, as are the individual links to register.

For more information, contact Brother Dittus, freshman retreat coordinator.

An overnight retreat for Sophomores

Sophomore year can feel like a turning point. Students begin facing bigger questions about identity, direction, and belief. Students at Columbus at this point will have had at least one full year of formal religious education. This retreat helps take that experience from the head to the heart. The Clarity Retreat is designed to help students reflect more deeply on their lives and explore what it means to be a child of God.

Through witness talks, student-led prayer, games, and honest conversation, Sophomores are reintroduced to their faith, highlighting how the faith they have learned can connect in a more personal way in their life. A participant with an open heart can find themselves leaving this retreat with a clearer understanding of just how God cares for them, and how He wants good in their lives.

This retreat encourages students to build meaningful relationships, reflect with sincerity, discover a personal prayer life, and learn about their own dignity and worth.

The dates for the 2025–26 school year are below, along with links to register.

For more information, contact Alex Jesurun, the Clarity Retreat Coordinator

A two-night retreat for Juniors and Seniors

The peak of the Columbus High School experience is an Encounter with the God who loves you. Whether done in our Explorer Community or in a gathering of all of our Marist USA schools, this is a transformative experience that our Alumni often look back on as the true starting point of their full walk with Christ.

The goal of this experience is for Explorers to encounter the Lord in their community, in their support systems, and in their true selves. While taking a deeper look at their life so far, they will come to know the One walking alongside them the entire way. With discussions, student and faculty witness, and unique prayer experiences, this retreat is the perfect balance of reflection and guidance for our upperclassmen, building them into a brotherhood focused on faith, and a courage to stand boldly on their trust in God.

Peer ministers take responsibility for small group discussions, as well as for preparing witness talks and the schedule of the retreat. The mission of the Columbus Brotherhood is Encounter, and it is important that this is an experience for students to encounter each other in the process.

The dates for the 2025–26 school year are below, along with links to register.

For more information, contact Alex Jesurun, the Encounter Coordinator.