Spiritual Life
As a Catholic school, faith is our cornerstone. We are guided by the gentle and practical Salesian Spirituality of Saints Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal as we enrich each student’s life with a optimistic, holistic approach to her spiritual life. Simple, yet powerful and life affirming, Salesian Spirituality is the Sisters’ gentle, inspired common sense approach to living a faith-filled life; it continues to endure, flourish, and guide all aspects of a Visitation education.
Along with our theology classes and Christian service program, our campus ministry office supports students’ spiritual development through a range of offerings. These include Masses, sacramental opportunities, prayer services, in-class talks, and retreats, all aimed at helping girls strengthen their relationships with God, self, and others.
While there are many opportunities for students to deepen their faith, graduating seniors often say that some of their most profound and transformative experiences were the retreats they participated in at Visitation. Junior Retreat, a class-wide event held at Camp Maria on scenic Breton Bay, is usually among girls' most treasured memories, and the Kairos Retreats are often referred to as "incredible" and "life-changing."
Faith Matters
![Shealyn '26]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1692721040/visiorg/bnwoyxdbio9v00jdaosr/46017.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1692721040/visiorg/bnwoyxdbio9v00jdaosr/46017.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1692721040/visiorg/bnwoyxdbio9v00jdaosr/46017.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1692721040/visiorg/bnwoyxdbio9v00jdaosr/46017.jpg","width":1200}])
"Salesian Spirituality is a moral compass, helping you live life like Jesus and grow closer to God."
![Chloe '25]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1692720813/visiorg/oe4dgvsm2yondb1veu2u/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_327.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1692720813/visiorg/oe4dgvsm2yondb1veu2u/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_327.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1692720813/visiorg/oe4dgvsm2yondb1veu2u/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_327.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1692720813/visiorg/oe4dgvsm2yondb1veu2u/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_327.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1692720813/visiorg/oe4dgvsm2yondb1veu2u/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_327.jpg","width":1476}])
"I appreciate Salesian Spirituality more each year because I have found a community of faith. We all grow in faith together. Having common values helps me connect with God through the people I have met here and the relationships I’ve created."
![Jaya '25]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1692718232/visiorg/yg7d9phyvsp0gwdawwrw/JayaKelly25.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1692718232/visiorg/yg7d9phyvsp0gwdawwrw/JayaKelly25.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1692718232/visiorg/yg7d9phyvsp0gwdawwrw/JayaKelly25.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1692718232/visiorg/yg7d9phyvsp0gwdawwrw/JayaKelly25.jpg","width":1200}])
"I live my faith every day at Visitation. I feel it in the the morning, the middle of the day, the end of the day. It all starts with the Direction of Intention. Mass is offered almost every day at lunchtime, confession too. There are so many ways to be present."
![Hope '25]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1681502629/visiorg/khtzwvjz3lif3tou2dus/GeorgetownVisitation_Fall2022_512.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1681502629/visiorg/khtzwvjz3lif3tou2dus/GeorgetownVisitation_Fall2022_512.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1681502629/visiorg/khtzwvjz3lif3tou2dus/GeorgetownVisitation_Fall2022_512.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1681502629/visiorg/khtzwvjz3lif3tou2dus/GeorgetownVisitation_Fall2022_512.jpg","width":1191}])
“I think that at Visitation, they teach you to be proud of what you believe. When I leave Visitation at the end of my four years here, I feel confident that I will be able to express myself, and be fearless in saying I am a Catholic woman of faith, vision, and purpose.”
![Casey de Franceaux ‘12, Director of Campus Ministry]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1681502782/visiorg/xrdh3bntwdwboahulvtq/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_237.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1681502782/visiorg/xrdh3bntwdwboahulvtq/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_237.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1681502782/visiorg/xrdh3bntwdwboahulvtq/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_237.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1681502782/visiorg/xrdh3bntwdwboahulvtq/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_237.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1681502782/visiorg/xrdh3bntwdwboahulvtq/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_237.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1681502782/visiorg/xrdh3bntwdwboahulvtq/GeorgetownVisitation_Spring2023_237.jpg","width":2200}])
“When our students come to us as freshmen, we see that they are made in the image and likeness of God. We take them as they are, we get to know them, we see what gifts they bring, and we help them grow in these things at Visitation so that when they graduate, they are women of faith, vision, and purpose."
Spiritual Life @ Visi
6
spiritual retreats
2
salesian camps
1
campus minister
9
all-school masses each year
16,500
student service hours per year
30
liturgical ministers per mass
6
service trips per year
5
collection drives per year
25,000
cans of food collected at G-W
Spiritual Life Alive at Visi
![Alums Share How They "Care for Our Common Home" at Laudato Si' Panel]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1676603547/visiorg/lfsx3wwquplo9nhtf5ca/IMG_1224.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1676603547/visiorg/lfsx3wwquplo9nhtf5ca/IMG_1224.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1676603547/visiorg/lfsx3wwquplo9nhtf5ca/IMG_1224.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1676603547/visiorg/lfsx3wwquplo9nhtf5ca/IMG_1224.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1676603547/visiorg/lfsx3wwquplo9nhtf5ca/IMG_1224.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1676603547/visiorg/lfsx3wwquplo9nhtf5ca/IMG_1224.jpg","width":2200}])
On Wednesday, February 15, a panel of four alums in environmental work shared how they "care for our common home" and put the wisdom of Laudato Si' into action each day.
![Amy Devere Honored as Dan Kerns Salesian Leadership Awardee]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1675389577/visiorg/rzg0twdh7etz3z0fmcfo/NewsStory-Thumbnail57.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1675389577/visiorg/rzg0twdh7etz3z0fmcfo/NewsStory-Thumbnail57.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1675389577/visiorg/rzg0twdh7etz3z0fmcfo/NewsStory-Thumbnail57.png","width":560}])
Assistant Athletic Director, trainer, and teacher Amy Devere, who has worked at Visitation for more than two decades, was honored as the second annual Dan Kerns Salesian Leadership awardee. The award, named for former Head of School Dan Kerns, is presented annually to one faculty and/or staff member who has demonstrated their dedication to upholding Salesian values and virtues within the school community.
![Visi4Life Brings Speakers to Campus to Inspire Before March]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1674152834/visiorg/fxzkl24i7q9ysszh69s5/IMG_0932.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1674152834/visiorg/fxzkl24i7q9ysszh69s5/IMG_0932.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1674152834/visiorg/fxzkl24i7q9ysszh69s5/IMG_0932.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1674152834/visiorg/fxzkl24i7q9ysszh69s5/IMG_0932.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1674152834/visiorg/fxzkl24i7q9ysszh69s5/IMG_0932.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1674152834/visiorg/fxzkl24i7q9ysszh69s5/IMG_0932.jpg","width":2200}])
Leading up to the March for Life in Washington, the Visi4Life club held a rosary for the unborn, ran a diaper drive to help mothers in need, and hosted several speakers from Stanton International, which offers life-affirming healthcare for women.
!["Everything Pertains to Love" released by Pope Francis on anniversary of de Sales' death]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1673032256/visiorg/gkstzfmwwewrmlgnfvab/NewsStory-Thumbnail56.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1673032256/visiorg/gkstzfmwwewrmlgnfvab/NewsStory-Thumbnail56.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1673032256/visiorg/gkstzfmwwewrmlgnfvab/NewsStory-Thumbnail56.png","width":560}])
Pope Francis published an apostolic letter on December 28 marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Visitation Order co-founder, St. Francis de Sales, titled "Everything Pertains to Love," which he believes summarizes the "spiritual legacy" of de Sales.
![Gianna Meloni '17 encourages students to embrace who they are today at Father-Daughter Mass & Brunch]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1671131385/visiorg/cfk2ci5xjboyahhxy10w/NewsStory-Thumbnail55.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1671131385/visiorg/cfk2ci5xjboyahhxy10w/NewsStory-Thumbnail55.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1671131385/visiorg/cfk2ci5xjboyahhxy10w/NewsStory-Thumbnail55.png","width":560}])
Gianna Meloni '17 encourages students to embrace who they are today at Father-Daughter Mass & Brunch
Yale graduate and former Division I ice hockey player - and one of Yale's best female ice hockey goalies in its history - Gianna Meloni '17 spoke to students and fathers attending the school's annual Father-Daughter Mass & Brunch, hosted by the Visitation Fathers Club on December 4. Now in graduate school and an author of a children's book about mental health, Gianna reflected on her experiences at Visitation and how they have influenced her today.