Welcome to the Freshman Students Formation and Ministry home page. For additional information on the Freshman Program, please contact our Freshman Class Chaplain - Mr. Matthew Couture at matthew.couture@ignatius.org. For a complete faculty and staff contact list, please visit our Contact Info page.

Freshman year is often an exciting, yet uncertain time of transition. The Freshman Class Chaplain provides unique opportunities to support freshmen in their spiritual growth through this important stage in their lives. This is accomplished through worship, prayer, and service.

Freshman Class Liturgies

Freshman Orientation Liturgy. At the conclusion of their orientation on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, the freshman celebrated their first liturgy together in Holy Family Church. Fr. Ross Pribyl inspiring homily of self-acceptance and inclusion gave us hope and encouragement for the new school year. At the conclusion of the Freshman Class Liturgy Mr. Couture, the Freshman Chaplain, extended a warm welcome to parents and guardians and thanked them for allowing him to partner with them in the spiritual formation of their students.

The Freshman Class Family Mass and Reception on Sunday, April 25, 2010 in Holy Family Church at 1:00 pm will be an opportunity for freshman and their families to gather together to celebrate the Spring season.

CORPUS: The Freshman Retreat

Corpus: The Freshman Retreat is a student-led all day retreat integrating off-campus service with on-campus small group activities. Senior Arrupe Mentors and junior leaders guide the freshman through discussions, liturgy, and various activities intended

Theme: Founded on the Guiding Scriptural passage (1 Corinthians 12), the retreat experience for Freshman year hopes to build up the BODY (Latin = corpus) of Christ, the body of the school, and the body of the Class of 2013. Though they are made of many parts, they are one BODY.

EveryBODY counts and is a gift from God. Each individual body in the freshman class is important. Diverse as they (we) are, freshmen are able to overcome differences, prejudices, stereotypes – and ultimately injustice – because of our UNITY in Christ. Christ is the ONE who unites us and empowers us to act (serve) as one body for the good of others.

The service activities of the morning of the retreat may be the first opportunity freshmen have to see the BODY of Christ in other people (children, the poor, professionals, etc.) Really noticing the BODY of Christ in themselves and others is a challenge and worth the time to reflect on.

Therefore, friendship with God (known through Christ) is extremely important, and nurtured through individual friendships and prayer. Once we realize that we are Christ’s BODY, we are able to better serve and love each other.

The mission statement of our school COMMUNITY expands upon the themes of unity, diversity, and service – all centered around the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through this retreat, we hope to allow the freshmen to see these basic themes clearly and to understand why it is they selected this school.

Service is an integral component of Freshman Retreat. Every student participates in a morning of service at a non-profit agency in the city of Chicago. Students will receive three hours of service credit for their participation.

The retreat will be held at Saint Ignatius College Prep on October 14, 2009.

Freshman Service Commitment

Freshmen are required to complete ten hours of service. Three hours of service may be completed during Freshman Retreat. The remaining hours are completed at sites approved by the Chaplain.

Pre-Approval Requirement

All students must have their service sites must be pre-approved by Mr. Couture, the Freshman Class Chaplain. To receive pre-approval, students must obtain a Student Service Report Form from our office. After completing their service requirements, students must return the signed form to the Department of Formation and Ministry. The Department of Formation and Ministry is located on the third floor.

All service hours for the 2009-2010 school year must be completed by April 30, 2010!