On Friday, February 7, NDA’s staff will head to the St. Norbert Abbey for a day-long spiritual retreat.  

While there, the staff will participate in the “Alpha” program, a Christian course that focuses on evangelization, discussing the pillars of the Christian faith and dialoguing about how faith affects everyone’s lives.

The program is described as “an opportunity to explore the meaning of life” by its main global organizers.

Alpha finds its roots in the Anglican Church in Britain and has since spread around the globe, encompassing all Christian denominations.

“Because Notre Dame Academy traces its roots to Premontre, which is a Norbertine school, annually, we take a one-day retreat at the St. Norbert Abbey,” said Principal Patrick Browne.

As emphasized by Principal Browne, the relationship between NDA and the St. Norbert Abbey is a vital and healthy one, one that helps Catholic education thrive in the greater Green Bay area. 

Without the support of St. Norbert Abbey, NDA could not possibly provide the great academic, athletic and community resources it does.

This connection allows for NDA to offer opportunities, like the Alpha retreat, to their staff.

More than anything, Friday marks a day of reflection, discussion and prayer, focusing on NDA’s core values of faith, respect, responsibility, service and trustworthiness.

“The focus of our treat is to be in touch with our Catholic values and determine how we can best serve our students by putting into practice our core values and the teachings of the gospel…We will start our day at 8 o’clock…The teachers and staff are in small prayer groups.  The conclusion of our time together is a mass which will be celebrated by father Christian,” continued Principal Browne.

Prayer and dialogue groups are what Alpha is built on, with Christians from all denominations finding common ground in the program’s message.

As a result of the retreat, NDA will be closed for the day Friday, with classes resuming Monday.