Students and staff from the Gaudete Trust gathered at St. Columban’s at the beginning of July 2026 for a day of encounter with creation. Bringing together sixth form students from across the Gaudete Trust, the retreat explored Catholic Social Teaching through the lens of ecology, encouraging young people to deepen their relationship with the natural world and consider their responsibility to care for our common home.
The Gaudete Trust is a family of Religious Order Catholic schools committed to forming young people in their distinctive charisms, in faith, service and academic excellence. This year’s Gaudete Trust-wide focus from their charter has been a transforming and inclusive ecology, prompting leaders to seek a central location where students from all its 11 secondary schools with sixth forms could come together. St. Columban’s provided the ideal setting, with its rewilded grounds offering a living classroom where environmental stewardship could be explored in a practical and meaningful way.
The day was facilitated by Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology Co-ordinator James Trewby and MaryAnne Francalanza, fcJ from the FCJ Centre for Spirituality and Eco Justice in London who is a member of the Columban Justice, Peace and Ecology team. Students spent the day immersed in activities designed to connect their school charisms and faith with action. Prayer stations invited quiet reflection on themes explored in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ while collaborative workshops explored biodiversity, rewilding and the global plastic crisis. Students created plastic collages highlighting humanity’s destructive impact on the environment, wrote messages for COP27 calling for greater action to protect creation, and took part in interactive games and nature-based activities. Throughout the day, they were encouraged to step away from technology, slow down in order to observe the world around them and recognise the intrinsic value of God’s creation.
For many students, one of the most memorable aspects of the retreat was simply spending uninterrupted time outdoors. Chloe Hopkinson, Lay Chaplain at St. Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent, reflected: “It is important in today’s climate to take time away from technology and bring young people out into nature. We talk about protecting them from the digital world, but they need time to experience the beauty of themselves without it. I fully welcome the idea that the students didn’t have phones for the entire day!”
Students echoed this sentiment with one young female sharing: “It has been refreshing to pay attention to small parts of nature we hadn’t noticed before. The outside world clouds us and our judgement, and it has been peaceful being outside, away from social media.” Her friend reflected: “I was surprised to learn that biodiversity is lacking in the UK. Today has opened my eyes to our destructive ways and awakened an awareness in me. In Liverpool we aren’t surrounded by biodiversity, so it has been a privilege to be here today and to spend time with God in nature. I have felt a greater sense of calm and peace!”
Helen Jones, Charism Development Officer, Gaudete Trust thanked the Columbans for their hospitality and said “The prayer stations and workshops have equipped staff and students with ideas and resources to take back into schools for the Season of Creation. We greatly value this partnership and hope to work alongside St Columban’s in the future.“ .”
For the Columbans in Britain, days like these are an important expression of our commitment to caring for creation and accompanying young people as they discern their place within it. By partnering with trusts such as the Gaudete Trust, we are helping create spaces where faith, justice and ecology meet, enabling students and educators to engage deeply with Catholic Social Teaching and the urgent environmental challenges of our time. The voices of these young people speak of hope, curiosity and a growing awareness that the future of our common home depends on choices made today.
