Cannonball Day 2023
This Thursday, May 11th, your favorite Regis freshmen completed their last VIA activity by celebrating a rite of passage for every RJ student. Even after heavy rain showers and a few tornado warnings, cannonball day continued, and was even more fun in the pouring rain! Freshman Maya Owen said, “It’s really fun but it’s also really cold”, which seemed to be a common sentiment.
As a close their freshman year, the students re-enacted the great battle of Pamplona where Saint Ignatius was shot in the leg with a cannonball and learned to give himself to God. Acting as the cannonballs, the students made a rainy day feel like summer fun! Flips and jumps into the RJ pool represented the cannonballs flying all through the air, and tiny water-balloons ensued a great water war on Lou Kellogg Stadium.
A few teachers joined in on this celebration including Ms. Houser, and Ms. Wiley, two of RJ’s most beloved theology teachers. The students really showed off their skills, with many cannonball jumps, a few backflips, and even a belly flop! (Though that may not have been on purpose.)
Before the cannonball action, the freshmen celebrated a lovely mass led by Father Ramirez. We learned about the ability to love, to be loved, and to love and celebrate yourself. During mass, Padre gave this inspiring message, “Jesus has this great invitation toward us today to remain in his love”. Knowing that you are worthy of love is a skill that is hard to obtain but is valuable throughout your life. Saint Ignatius realized that he too was worthy of God’s love, and so we celebrate that moment, because we know that we are all worthy of God’s love.
The students closed the day with ice cream and lots of laughs in the gym. The freshmen class was brought together by this activity, and they can’t wait for the next incoming class to feel this sense of belonging.
