Bishop Heelan students see 'The Passion of the Christ'

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
March 11, 2004

Juniors and seniors at Bishop Heelan High School in Sioux City recently went to "The Passion of the Christ."

The students had asked their teacher, Juliane Flanery, about going to see it as a field trip.

"It's rare to be able to do something like this and then to build on it with a retreat," said Linda Lester, a teacher at Heelan. "The Holy Spirit prompted us, and we responded by organizing one day for the seniors and the next for the juniors. During Lent we have often wanted to provide some type of retreat of substance for our students. The movie definitely provided the opportunity to foster the spiritual growth of our students."

Prior to seeing the movie, the students were prepared by their religion teachers. In their classes they covered the issues of anti-Semitism and the brutality and violence that Jesus Christ endured at the scourging and crucifixion.

"I wanted to see it so that I could experience what someone did because they loved me," said John Agnes, a Heelan student.

A few classes reread the Passion of Christ in various Gospels. Brendan Burchard covered information on the scourging and crucifixion from an article he has used for several years from the Journal of the American Medical Association in his Church History classes.

One teacher, Dan O'Brien, facilitated the retreat both days encouraging the students to personalize their time of reflection on the passion and mercy of God.

"It was a perfect way to wake up our world," said Emily Lennon, another Heelan student. "People need a visual to realize how much Jesus loves us. It was incredible. As a result, my respect and love for my faith has changed."

The retreat began with students praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. At another point in the retreat, both seniors and juniors were able to focus on two writings read by O'Brien, "The Cross" and "Temptation" followed by personal reflection. They then shared in small groups followed with large group discussion.

"Any scene dealing with Jesus' mother was touching, I cried the most during those," said Melissa Flynn. "Having to see the pain in Mary's face was heart-wrenching. The Passion put things in perspective for me, and I had a deep respect for the people I was with. It almost seemed to unify us. I felt appreciation for Jesus and the other martyrs who went through such intense pain. Overall, I just felt unworthy but so incredibly thankful at the same time."

During the Thursday retreat with the juniors, Father Nickolas Becker addressed the students focusing on the suffering and passion of Christ and God's mercy. Several times making reference to the movie, he was able to connect the students' daily life with the passion.

"He shared with them the importance of the Eucharist as a remembrance of Jesus' passion and death," said Lester. "For this reason we should have a greater appreciation for the gift of Jesus himself to us in the Eucharist."

The retreat closed with the Stations of the Cross. In January, at the request of the CSSC Mission Effectiveness Committee, the students responded to questions on a particular station through their religion classes. Father Kevin Richter compiled the results to create personalized Stations of the Cross from contributions of the Heelan students.

"When going to Mass now I try to realize just what Jesus' sacrifice means for us," said Aaron Kunz. "'Jesus died for our sins.' 'He was crucified.' Those are now no longer just words but words with very powerful images along with a unique experience behind them."

At a point in the retreat students had the opportunity to write a personal note seeking forgiveness, in thanksgiving or whatever they were moved to write. They then nailed the piece of paper to a large cross. The crosses will be used again during the students' Lenten reconciliation service in April.

"I hope that they will have allowed the experience to be a 'defining moment' in their faith lives," said Lester. "I hope these students will look back at different times and remember what God blessed them with on the day of their retreat in 2004. I hope the students will appreciate the depth of faith given to them and respond as the Spirit leads them. I think many seeds of faith were watered and nourished from our experience. My sincere prayer is that we provide continued powerful and meaningful faith formation for them as young adults both in and beyond high school."

Lester added that she also hopes that parents attend this movie with their teens that have not seen it or wish to see it a second time.

"The discussion and closeness this creates is a gift," said Lester. "I have been so blessed to have experienced this with our students at Heelan."