ND Vision June 18-24, 2017

What is ND Vision? Summer conference and retreat for high school students. Notre Dame Vision is a series of 5-day conferences that includes dynamic large group experiences, reflective small group time, profound liturgies, and excellent music. Speakers from all across the country will break open important themes throughout the week and help participants to relate them to their own lives. Sixty-five Notre Dame undergraduates will serve as Mentors, whether as musicians or small group facilitators.

Vision invites the students into a college environment where the levels of responsibility and personal investment are higher than are typically the case in a high school setting

Student Reflection Highlights from 2016 Student 1: My week at Notre Dame is not something I will soon forget. I was not sure what to expect going into this week, but all I can say is that what I experienced was not what I expected…I've never before met such an amazing group of students, my age, who share the same values and beliefs as myself. I don't always consider myself to be great (on the spot) with my words, but here everything I said and shared was natural.

Student 2 All around me, from the second we rolled onto Notre Dame campus, from the guest speakers to the dorm rooms I felt the presence of God. It was an amazing experience, one that I have never been even on the verge of experiencing. Up until this point the peak of my religious life was on the Prep freshman retreat and the Notre Dame trip brought me to a much higher understanding and love for God and all of his creation.

Student 3 This retreat deepened my faith and expanded my view of how important it is to not only practice my faith but live it out in my words and actions…It is refreshing to be able to share with people who feel the same way about their faith as I do. I found it empowering that through the activities I saw God come alive in others and thus within myself. I feel more comfortable now talking about my faith to others and living a moral life even if it is not popular.

Student 4 The best parts of the week were when I got to walk around the lakes, confession, frisbee in the quad, and hearing the guest speakers and the mentor witness talks. I learned a new way to approach prayer and my relationship with God during confession, and I gained a much more extensive knowledge of mercy and how to be merciful in my own life through the speakers and witness talks.

One way of preparing for the ND Vision week is for students and parents to take a look at Vision blog--Full of Grace--to see some ways in which former Vision Mentors have come to understand Christ's question and the response of faith to grace in their own lives.

ND Vision promotional video: ALIVE

What does Prep Campus Ministry ask of our students when they return? Get involved - CM Student Leadership Team (Monday afternoons) - Retreats - Liturgical Ministers - Service (including immersion trips)

Travel Costs We will once again travel by Coach Bus. Travel difficulties during the first 5 years have pushed us in this direction. We leave at night on June 18 and return early morning on June 24. Bus allows us to take a larger group of students and we get door to door service. Final cost will be determined by the number of students attending. Last year it was $375 a student.

If interested: Fill out “Group” application and return to Mr. Gualtiere with at least a $100 deposit (checks should be made out to Fairfield Prep; deposits are non-refundable unless you can get a replacement). App can also be completed online using a credit card. Please inform Mr. Gualtiere if doing an online application. The conference will cost $425 ($325 plus $100 deposit).Transportation costs will be determined later. Attach to your group application a response to the questions: Why do I want to go to ND Vision? What am I hoping to gain from this experience? (one page in length typed) Please apply by January 31, 2017. We will max out at 40 students including any Lauralton Hall students.

Financial aid/scholarships for this trip are available through Vision for the conference fees (Emerging Leaders Scholarship) Fairfield Prep can assist with transportation costs once they are determined (Fill out financial assistance form). Up to half of the transportation costs can be covered by assistance if a student qualifies; and this is also based on the number of students applying for aid.

Questions?