For many students at Billings Central Catholic High School, Search is something they hear about long before they ever experience it.
Search is a faith-based retreat open to juniors and seniors each year. Students who attend are asked not to share specific details about the retreat afterwards. The result is a tradition built more on anticipation than explanation, where each class walks into Search with curiosity and an open mind.
“I’ve always heard about it ever since I was in middle school,” junior Maggie Haney said before attending. “We wrote letters to people doing it, and I was always like, that’s something I’ll get to do way far in the future, and now I’m here.”
For many students, Search is less about knowing what lies ahead and more about stepping into the unknown. With little information passed down from past participants, expectations are minimal by design.
“I really don’t have very many expectations,” Haney said. “You’re not supposed to say anything, so no one has spoiled anything about it. I think that’s a good thing because I want to go in with an open mind.”
The back up Adoration Chapel where the backup team participated in a 24 hour Adoration. (Ella Fairbanks )
That openness is part of what draws students in. While the details remain undisclosed, the purpose is clear: connecting with your faith and each other.
“I’m most excited to get to know my classmates a little bit more,”Haney said. “Especially being able to talk with them on a faith-based level.”
For students who have attended this year’s Search, the secrecy remains, but their reactions speak volumes. “I would say it exceeded my expectations by a lot,” Haney said. “In general, I was very surprised. It went far beyond what I expected.”
Even without revealing specifics, participants consistently describe Search as transformative. Many point to a stronger unity within their class. “It was really great way for all of us as a class to bond together and become more God-centered,” Haney said. “It really brought our grade together.”
Detail shot of the alter holding candles and the Monstrance in the back up Chapel. (Ella Fairbanks )
That sense of community appears to be one of the retreat’s most lasting effects. Students return not just with private memories but with a shared experience that can reshape relationships. “It was something that I wasn’t expecting,” Haney explained.
Despite its religious foundation, students say that Search is not limited just to those with religious backgrounds. “I would recommend it no matter what your faith background is,”Haney said. “There’s something everyone can take out of it.” This may be the heart of Search—a retreat defined by what isn’t said, yet remembered for what is felt.
