Eight students from Monsignor Edward Pace High School became the next set of future Spartan leaders to attend Notre Dame Vision, a Catholic leadership conference for high school students held at the esteemed Notre Dame University in Indiana from June 15-19.
Sofia Lama, Amy Velez, Chris Velez, Tristan Luzod, Matthew Schaffer, Joshua Felipe, Ruben Masters, and Nathan Bonet were the fifth group in as many years to be sent by Pace to the conference. They were chaperoned by Pace theology teachers Patricia Stout and Nelson Bonet, who accompanied the group on their long journey and met with them for breakfast every morning in the Notre Dame dining halls.
For five days, the group spent their time with their fellow attendees living in the university’s dorm rooms and being mentored by Notre Dame undergraduates. As part of Notre Dame Vision, the group and nearly 100 other high school students from across the country took part in workshops and group discussions, performed skits and musicals, and received lectures from national-known speakers to strengthen both their leadership skills and their relationship with God. Attendees also celebrated mass in the university’s famed Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Though Pace High has sent students to Notre Dame Vision for five consecutive years, this was the first time that incoming freshmen took the trip. Ruben Masters and Nathan Bonet, sons of Pace theology teachers Dr. David Masters and Nelson Bonet, surprised their parents by asking if they could attend the conference of their own volition. While these two students are already a part of the Pace family, Notre Dame Vision also let them grow closer to their future upperclassmen, forging bonds that will last throughout their four years at high school.
One of these upperclassmen was Matthew Schaffer, a Pace sophomore, who says he joined the program since it seemed like it would be an interesting new experience. He enjoyed the conference’s very social environment most of all and found himself deeply affected by the religious experience.
“I know more about God and my relationship with him because of this program,” said Schaffer.