Hey everyone, I hope this blog finds everyone doing well! I apologize for my absence of blogs for the past few weeks. With Spring break, and classes becoming much more demanding I had to put this on the back burner for a short time, but now I’m back in the swing of things.

So I had a great opportunity a couple weeks back to just get away for a weekend and take part in the Campus Ministry retreat at Loyola Lakes Retreat House. When first finding out about this weekend, I was hesitant as I didn’t know if I would be able to commit an entire weekend to this, but then I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was strictly a one day, one evening retreat, with minimal structure, and emphasis on relaxation.

Surrounding landscapes--such a beautiful place--only 20 mins. from Walsh! Worth the short drive!

We departed from Walsh on Saturday morning to arrive at the retreat house for a full breakfast served to us along with some reflection following. Then that was it! We were on our own for the rest of the morning/afternoon. We all looked around at each other? Could this be? Was Miguel joking? Clearly he must have an agenda or some type of schedule for us to follow. Surprisingly, there was not. Miguel actually planned this retreat in this manner intentionally, so that we would be able to take time to relax, visit with others, and really reflect on our lives—which he believed could be just as beneficial as a schedule full of activities.

Now don’t get me wrong, we did have a very nice prayer service to begin, along with several group activities to break the ice a bit, but then the free time we were given allowed us to take full advantage of the beautiful facility. From a snowball fight, to sled riding on boxes, and countless board games, and activities to choose from–everyone was completely satisfied by the end of the day. We ended with a relaxing activity, and then, you guessed it…more free time! For once I actually got a complete 8 hours of sleep, and on top of that, we were in comfortable rooms (each getting an individual room).

The chapel of the retreat house

Sunday morning, we all woke refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the semester, as we headed back to campus, and attended mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel. I am so fortunate to all those who attended, and for those that I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time while on this retreat. Thinking back on the priceless memories that we had in this short amount of time together, its ironic just how much we were able to grow and learn about each other, simply by being together. I cannot think of a better example to support the old adage “less is more,” than this retreat. Whether you treated this retreat as a time to grow spiritually, mentally, to build new friendships, or even just to get in touch with yourself—this retreat covered all bases, and is a time that I will never forget.

I would like to thank Miguel Chavez for all his hard work and dedication to making this retreat truly memorable, as well as the entire Campus Ministry department for all their efforts!