In order to provide a holistic opportunity for retreat, service, and education.  We provide an Impact Service week for our freshmen – junior classes.  During these weeks they are not in their classes, but working aside their teachers and other classmates rotating between three days of service and one day of recollection.  Combining educative, service, and reflective components into these days ensures a more holistic experience.  Because of these events, we have eliminated the need for requiring service hours.  At Crespi, service is not a requirement, it is a way a life-we do the service as a community. Following the command of Jesus to "love one another as I have loved you," (John 13:34) the students perform practical service to the people in and around our school community. The program is designed to awaken in each student his baptismal call of holiness, as disciples of Jesus, to openly serve others, and gain an appreciation of his God given talents which are to be used for the building of God's Kingdom on earth.    

Drawing on the Carmelite tradition, through service, our students bear witness to the presence and love of God, live a life of active service to others, and boldly proclaim the dignity of all people as created in the image of a loving God. The students develop their self-confidence as agents of change in the local community, the Church, and through their relationships with the people they work with.

Each year will focus upon a specific theme, building upon each other, crescendoing to the senior experience we have here at Crespi.

Freshmen (Environmental):  It is because we have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28) that we need to take care of it!  Learning about the earth, our resources, our need and how we can “clean up our mess” will be the focus and implementation of this week.  The students will also going on a “walking” retreat to explore the beauty of the environment they live in, as well as the beauty of their new environment at Crespi.

Sophomores (Health/Sickness):  Learning and assisting those inflicted with illness will be vital in this week.  By visiting hospitals and other places, the students will learn some of the hardships people endure and how they can bring the peace, comfort, and joy of Christ, living out part of the mission given to us by Christ (Matthew 25:36).  A day of recollection is also held during this week for the students at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. (CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SOPHOMORE IMPACT WEEK.)

Juniors (Homelessness, Hunger, and Poverty):  Bringing food, hopes, and joy to those who are physically less fortunate then we are will help our students realize the blessings they have.  They will have the opportunity to personalize the homeless they meet through our project called “Cardboard Tent City”, and live out many of the virtues of our faith (Matthew 25:35-36).  A day of recollection is also held during this week for the students at Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino.

Seniors (Personal Struggle, Journey of Faith, Vocation):  This will be the culmination where they will have the chance to deeply reflect upon the blessings of their own life, explore the vocation that God is calling them to, and truly respond to the IMPACT of their four years at Crespi.  It is during this stage that all the past prayer, service, and reflection would hope to instill within our students the virtues and the drive to see service a s a way of life, with prayer and education being the roads to a deeper connection with God and a more fulfilling and richer life—also giving them the opportunity to encounter Christ’s ever-present question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).  It is during this year that they will be invited to participate in a variety of forms of service (not required, but hopefully at this point they will see service not as a requirement, but as a joyous choice.  It is also during this year that they will have the option to participate in our Kairos Retreat Program.

The Kairos Retreat Program has been the core of our retreat ministry for many years. Kairos was introduced to southern California through Crespi Carmelite High School in 1977. This is a time tested retreat for Seniors that is used by many high schools in the area and around the country including our sister school, Louisville High School in Woodland Hills. It has been adopted by all of the Carmelite high schools in the United States. As is true of all the retreat programs at Crespi Carmelite, Kairos is built upon a peer-to-peer ministry model which helps the retreatants deepen their relationships with God, themselves and others. Kairos is a deepening experience in one’s Christian life. Prayer and Sacraments are an essential part of the retreat, as well as the retreatant’s involvement in discussions and group exercises. The retreatants may not leave the retreat with all of life’s answers, but hopefully he will have a greater awareness of who he is and where he is going. This retreat is 4 days long and is held at St. Mary’s Seminary in Santa Barbara, California.

Faculty/Staff:  Our faculty and staff gather for a Day of Recollection before the school year begins. This helps prepare them for their ministry to our students. During the IMPACT Weeks they will also be working alongside our students and participating in the days of recollection.  Many of them also participate on the Kairos Retreat Program.

Kairos Retreat Dates for 2011:
1) October 1-4
2) January 17-20
3) February 28 - March 3
4) June 6-9

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We begin each day with our prayer and pledge over announcements, but the Crespi Man’s prayer life doesn’t stop there.  We encourage all teachers to begin each class with a prayer, and our school participates in both the annual “See You At the Pole” Day and the “National Day of Prayer.”

As a way to cultivate a deeper prayer life within the student’s spirituality, Crespi has a Chapter of the Dead Theologians Society.  The Dead Theologians Society (D.T.S) is an International Catholic Society* dedicated to leading teens closer to Christ through the study of the saints.  Based off the movie Dead Poets Society, D.T.S. sets up a “spooky” environment to talk about the saints, and how the saints of the past are an example for us in the present, so we can be saints in the future.  A time for shared prayer, Q&A, and reflection is also provided.

Students who come to three meetings in a row, or five meetings altogether are inducted into this society.  They will receive a D.T.S. Hoodie and Polo (branded with our school name so they can wear it as part of dress code), and a rosary.  This organization can go on college applications, and Crespi is also offering graduating seniors cords for this society (after our suggestion, the national office is implementing cords).  As a way to get others involved (and to cover the cost), we are looking for alumni, parents, friends, etc. to “sponsor” a candidate for $100 to cover the cost of the hoodie, polo, etc. so the students do not have to cover this expense.

Our D.T.S. meetings will be on “D” days during “X” period from 1:15-2:15 in the chapel.
More information about D.T.S. can be found on their website:

http://www.deadtheologianssociety.com

*while it is a Catholic Society, non-Catholic students are welcome to be a part of it

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We open our school year in September with the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit. To remind our students that the real meaning of Thanksgiving Day is not just found in parades and football, we have an annual Thanksgiving Mass in November, which also marks the beginning of our Advent Adopt-A-Family project. During the season of Advent we provide a Prayer Service to help our Crespi Family prepare for Christmas. We also provide an opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to go to Mass on Holy Days of Opportunity such as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th).

In the Spring Semester we start the season of Lent with an Ash Wednesday Service. To reinforce the relationships our students have with their parents we have a Father-Son Communion Breakfast in March and a Mother-Son Communion Breakfast in May. The academic year ends with the traditional Baccalaureate Mass in May.

There are also smaller gatherings for prayer and worship on our retreats and days of recollection, for our athletic teams, and for individual classes. Morning Prayer and Mass take place in the Carmelite Priory Chapel every school day at 7:00 A.M. (5:00 P.M. on Mondays) and are open to all members of the Crespi Family.

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With the completion of Our New Fine Arts Building, The Campus Ministry Center will not simply be a place to run programs. While we will have space for program administration, meetings, and storage for our supplies, the tables and chairs in our living room area will provide a relaxed environment where students can interact, read or study. There will also have several private offices for pastoral care and confidential discussions. Campus Ministry will continue to have its open door policy where students of all grade levels may come in to share concerns, to build community or just talk.

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Each year Crespi Carmelite reaches out to the local community. Working with local parishes and support groups, Crespi “adopts” several families from the surrounding areas. Our Freshman class provides a complete Christmas for over 20 families provided from Our Lady of Grace Parish in Encino. Our remaining classes provide Christmas for families from Guardian Angel Parish in Pacoima. In both cases our students coordinate these programs. Some of them may visit the Parishes, organize the collection, involve the community and distribute the gifts. It is a true example of how using our talents begin to bring about the building of God’s Kingdom on earth.

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