Manresa Retreat: Learning to Find God in All Things
First row left to right: Alyssa Olcott ‘21, Sara Rizzo Graduate Student, Ralph Rezza ‘19, Ruth Martin ’20; Second row: Kayla Collins ‘20, Dan Buzzerio ‘20, Kaitlin Kenyon ‘19, Benjamin Kelly, ’19, Anna Giannantoinio ’19, Ryan Schultze ’21, Danny Yuresko ‘20On the weekend of Nov. 16-18, a team of 11 students led a group of 38 retreatants on the sixth Manresa Retreat at the Chapman Lake Retreat Center. The Manresa Retreat is based on Ignatian spirituality and focuses on the five stanzas of the First Principle and Foundation, which is the introduction to the Spiritual Exercises by St. Ignatius. The themes of these stanzas include Finding God in All Things, Gratitude and Reverence, Faith that Does Justice, Ignatian Indifference, Magis, and Discernment. The student leaders offer witness talks and facilitate prayer services based on these themes to encourage students to think about their personal relationships with God and where they experience God’s love in their lives.
“Manresa was, for me, an opportunity to take a step back from a hectic semester and immerse myself in an environment of reflection and remind myself that I am from love, of love, and for love. It becomes easy to get caught up in my day to day as an over-involved student, and Manresa gave me the chance to slow down and explore my values in light of Ignatian spirituality," said Anna Giannantonio '18.
Campus Ministries offers more than 20 different types of retreat experiences on most weekends during the Fall and Spring semesters. A variety of different retreat experiences provide choices from which students can choose. The retreats offer time and space for students to deepen awareness of God’s Presence and to cultivate a healthy relationship with that Presence, both individually and communally.
For a list of the Spring 2019 retreats, check out our web page soon!
