General - CAMPUS MINISTRY - Trinity High School

Student Life

Campus Ministry

Meet Us

SCOTT ROOT, P’20,’22

Campus Minister

Scott Root guides the faith programing at Trinity, planning and running our school liturgies, retreat program, and other spiritual opportunities. At Trinity, he is most inspired by experiencing the KAIROS retreat 3-4 times a year with students because of its transformative power in the lives of students. He is currently working toward becoming a Permanent Deacon, a program which requires 5 years of intensive study, prayer, and service. Scott is married to wife, Shannon, and together they have six sons.

Rev. TIMOTHY SAHD

Chaplain

Rev. Sahd, parochial vicar at Saint Joseph Parish, Mechanicsburg, is newly ordained to the priesthood (Spring 2018). He spends a full school day a week chatting with Trinity students, ministering them, and administering sacraments. This weekly presence of Rev. Sahd allows students to connect personally with a clergy member, access sacraments such as Reconciliation as needed, and contemplate 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 at 7:15 a.m. 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 a year. Service opportunities are gathered and advertised to students in theology courses, through our weekly e-newsletter Trinity Weekly, and are available on the Rocks in Motion website.

MARCH FOR LIFE

Trinity High School has joined in the national effort to defend life for dozens of years, at the March for Life, in Washington D.C.—sending students and staff to speak out for life: those who are unborn and others 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, developing life skills, and learning, 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.

KAIROS or “WHERE AM I GOING?”
KAIROS means “God’s Time,” and the retreat is often a transformative experience` for seniors. The three-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. Students who choose not to attend KAIROS will attend the local one-day retreat which concentrates on the theme “Where am I going?” and focuses on students relationships with themselves, God, and family.

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

“TRUE GRIT and DIGNIFIED”
Sophomore Year
NET Ministries conducts this retreat and these young people spend the day exploring the questions of authentic masculinity and femininity with the sophomores. Boys and girls meet in separate groups to talk about the meanings of being a man and woman in today’s society with the guidance of Catholicism and the examples set for us by Jesus and the Blessed Mother, Mary.

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP and TEAM BUILDING
Freshmen Year
On their first retreat, freshmen focus on leadership and team building. Students will experience an outdoor Mass and the high and low ropes course at Ski Roundtop, where they will face challenging tasks requiring them to focus on communication, trust, and problem-solving. The combination of activities and reflection will help the freshmen realize the complex interworking of the group and the crucial role of each individual in the day’s activity, in their high school experience, in their faith, and in life.