The Campus Ministry Team at Maria Regina High School strives to help and encourage students to discover their own values. This enables them to develop mature relationships with God and with others. The goal is for these girls to become women of faith with a personal and global concern for peace and justice. It is our hope that the experience of learning and sharing in faith stays with our students, even after they have graduated from Maria Regina High School.
Retreats
Students are given the opportunity to participate in class-level retreats. Freshmen
participate in a one-day retreat at the school, which is orchestrated and carried out by the
Peer Ministry Team of Seniors. In this way the Seniors are able to share their faith and
the wisdom they have gained in the past three years at MRHS. Sophomores and Juniors
attend a day long retreat at a local retreat center. These include reception of the
Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist. Seniors conclude their retreat experience at
MRHS with a two night over night retreat at the Don Bosco Retreat Center in
Haverstraw, NY.
Each retreat is designed around a theme that is pertinent to the Theology
curriculum for that grade level. The purpose of the retreats is to strengthen the students’
faith, allow for bonding on a spiritual & social level and encourage students to reflect
upon the blessings they have received as well as the blessing they can be to others.
Liturgy & Prayer Services
Every first Friday t h e r e i s a l i t u r g i c a l e x p e r i e n c e f o r o u r s t u d e n t s i n t h e f o r m o f a
s c h o o l - w i d e l i t u r g y o r p r a y e r s e r v i c e . L i t u r g i c a l s e a s o n s a r e m a r k e d b y p r a y e r , v i s i b l e
r e m i n d e r s o f t h e s p i r i t o f t h e s e a s o n , a n d s e r v i c e r e l a t e d a c t i v i t i e s . W e e k l y m a s s t a k e s
p l a c e o n F r i d a y m o r n i n g s i n o u r c h a p e l for any students who wish to attend. A s e r i o u s
e f f o r t i s m a d e t o r e c o g n i z e a n d i n c l u d e t h e p r a y e r n e e d s o f o u r s t u d e n t b o d y i n o u r
l i t u r g i c a l c e l e b r a t i o n s . A m o n g t h e w a y s w e h a v e r e a c h e d o u t t o o u r s t u d e n t s f a m i l i e s i n
t h e p a s t h a v e i n c l u d e d h e a l i n g m a s s e s , m e m o r i a l m a s s e s a n d s p o n t a n e o u s p r a y e r o f f e r e d
a s a m e a n s o f s u p p o r t t o s t u d e n t s , f a c u l t y a n d s t a f f . O u r c h a p e l r e m a i n s o p e n t h r o u g h o u t
t h e s c h o o l d a y f o r p r a y e r a n d r e f l e c t i o n .
Community Service
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”
- Shirley Chisholm
Each student is called to action regarding community service. Maria Regina takes
very seriously the task of providing meaningful service opportunities to all of our
students. We recognize that service is love in action and that one of the goals of a
Christian education is to challenge our students to share God’s transforming love with
others.
Seniors are required to complete 40 hours of service during her senior year. They
undergo a process in which they identify an existing service program they would like to participate in or develop a specific program designed to fulfill a need not being met in
society at large or in here in our own school community. Service is augmented by
journaling and an end of the year project based upon the student’s experience in their
chosen service program as well as written reflections throughout the year. The Campus
Minister and Senior Theology teachers oversee the completion of service.
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e s e r v i c e h o u r s r e q u i r e d o f s t u d e n t s f o r g r a d u a t i o n , a n u m b e r o f
s e r v i c e o p p o r t u n i t i e s a r e a v a i l a b l e t o J u n i o r s a n d u n d e r c l a s s s t u d e n t s . C l u b s s u c h a s
M i s s i o n O u t r e a c h , K e y C l u b a n d R e s p e c t L i f e r u n a n u m b e r o f a c t i v i t i e s d e s i g n e d t o
p r o v i d e a n o u t l e t f o r t h e n a t u r a l t e n d e n c y o f t e e n a g e r s t o h e l p o t h e r s . S o m e o f t h e s e
i n c l u d e : H a b i t a t f o r H u m a n i t y , M i d n i g h t R u n s , B a b y B o t t l e D r i v e , B o x C i t y ,
p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n an urban i m m e r s i o n p r o g r a m s u c h a s t h e R o m e r o C e n t e r i n C a m d e n , N J
a n d N a z a r e t h F a r m i n S a l e m , W V , a s c h o o l - w i d e T h a n k s g i v i n g F o o d D r i v e a n d t h e
c o l l e c t i o n o f C h r i s t m a s g i f t s f o r t h e M e r c y C e n t e r i n t h e S o u t h B r o n x . S t u d e n t s a n d
f a c u l t y a r e e n c o u r a g e d t o s h a r e i d e a s r e g a r d i n g s e r v i c e r e l a t e d a c t i v i t i e s a n d o f t e n
c o o p e r a t e i n t h e e f f o r t t o m a k e s e r v i c e o p p o r t u n i t i e s m e a n i n g f u l a n d s u c c e s s f u l . Several
outreach opportunities are offered throughout the school year such as Habitat for
Humanity, Breakfast Runs to New York City, Nazareth Farm in Appalachia and a
Christmas gift drive for children in the South Bronx.
