General - CAMPUS MINISTRY - Trinity High School

Student Life

Campus Ministry

Meet Us

Miss MARIA RUIZ VILLARINO

Campus Minister

Miss Maria Ruiz Villarino guides the faith programming at Trinity, planning and running our school liturgies, retreat program, and other spiritual opportunities. At Trinity, she leads one of the most transformative aspects of the Trinity experience, the KAIROS retreat for both junior and senior students. This retreat has transformative power in the lives of our students!

Rev. THOMAS MEINERT

Chaplain

Fr. Meinert is the parochial vicar at Saint Theresa Parish, New Cumberland as well as chaplain at Trinity. He spends a full school day a week chatting with Trinity students in and out of the classroom, ministering to them, and administering sacraments. Father Meinert’s weekly presence allows students to connect personally with a clergy member, access sacraments such as Reconciliation as needed, and embrace the role of Catholicism in their lives.

Ministries

As members of the Body of Christ, all members of the Trinity community are called to actively participate in the faith life of the Church through our presence, ritual action, prayer, and service. At Trinity, we facilitate a strong spiritual life through various offerings, including:

LITURGY & PRAYER

Weekly Mass is offered before school or after school (details are included in each Trinity Weekly e-newsletter) by our chaplain, and monthly Mass is attended by our entire school community. Prayer services are held throughout the year to accentuate holidays, community events, or unexpected tragedies. Holy Adoration is offered on Fridays for our entire community. We also pause daily for prayer at the start and end of the day, before each class, and prior to lunch. Christ, and our remembrance of His blessings, punctuate our day and give structure to the other important things in which we engage.

ROCKS IN MOTION

Service to others, to our school, and to our community is at the heart of Trinity’s mission. Jesus’ example is one of service, and we strive to emulate that. Our service program requires that all students complete a total of 80 hours of service before graduation, or 20 per year. Students can learn about service opportunities in Mentor Group, on our daily announcement TV monitors, and on the MobileServe app. Questions about the service program can be directed to Deacon Scott Root.

MARCH FOR LIFE

Trinity High School has joined the national effort to defend life for dozens of years at the March for Life, in Washington D.C. Many Trinity students and staff choose to attend and speak the message that all life is precious–from the unborn to those who face unnatural death, including from euthanasia or the death penalty.

RETREAT PROGRAM

WHY RETREAT?
Beginning with Jesus’ 40 days in the desert and continuing with the example of countless saints, Catholics have a long history of retreating from the world for the purposes of reflection, refreshment, and education. At Trinity, our goal is to promote lifelong positive behaviors, including the habit of retreat and spiritual reflection. To this end, and with the purpose of connecting with classmates, deepening a relationship with God, and developing life skills, Trinity sponsors a required retreat for students each year. The retreats range in focus, purpose, and even length, but all promote stronger relationships with one another and with God.

FOURTH DAY RETREAT
Senior Year

The Fourth Day Retreat is a transformative experience for Trinity seniors. The four-day retreat at St. Mary of Providence Center in Elverson, Pennsylvania is based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Students focus on understanding themselves, learning more about their classmates, and reawakening to the ever-present love of God. Students experience a new understanding of how God fits into their lives through peer and adult ministry, large and small group discussion, prayer, the celebration of Mass and the sacrament of Reconciliation. When students return, they are often “on fire” with their faith and ready to engage in a different way with the stresses of daily life.

KAIROS
Junior Year

KAIROS been an integral part of the Trinity experience since the late 90s, and many alumni have named it the best part of their high school experience. In order for the impact of this retreat to more significantly shape their high school experience, Trinity is expanding the KAIROS program to include a junior retreat. This local three-day retreat is a pre-requisite to the senior Kairos experience. This retreat will afford us the opportunity to build more upon the community that is formed while on Kairos and help students to have a deeper and even more significant retreat experience.

WORKS of MERCY and CHRISTIAN SERVICE
Sophomore Year
Service to others is the bedrock of Catholicism and in their sophomore year, Trinity students focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy and go out into the community in small groups to serve with organizations devoted to helping the needy in the greater Harrisburg area. Students have a variety of different experiences, including interacting with young children and the elderly and working at the food bank, among other opportunities.

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP and TEAM BUILDING
Freshmen Year

Freshmen attend a one-day retreat in October on campus, during the school day. The retreat focuses on growing spiritually as individuals, building healthy relationships, and developing leadership skills.