Although students often struggle to find time to slow down and reflect due to hectic schedules and large workloads, many Notre Dame residence halls offer retreats every semester, giving students the opportunity to unwind and take a break from their busy calendars. These retreats also aim to help students deepen their relationship with God through discussion, prayer and Mass.
Some dorms have chosen to shift away from the model supplied by Campus Ministry, providing a unique experience tailored to specific focuses that will be better explored with a different set-up.
“Campus Ministry has a wonderful retreat model, but as a retreat planning team, we decided to do this on our own,” Duncan Hall rector Nic Schoppe said.
Students in Duncan Hall visited the Camp Manitoqua in Frankfort, Illinois, over the weekend of Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Their retreat included fellowship, Mass, talks from liturgical commissioners and bonding events such as dodgeball.
“This year, our theme was ‘genuine male friendship,’ so our talks were centered around how the men of Duncan can immerse themselves into friendships that are more meaningful, rooted in faith and have a true purpose,” Schoppe said.
This year, Breen-Phillips Hall and Lewis Hall hosted a joint retreat over the weekend of Jan. 31.
“Our retreat with Lewis included a watch party of ‘The Chosen,’ small group discussions, yoga, Mass and so much more,” freshman Ciara Lyons said.
To plan the retreats, hall rectors, priests and student commissioners come together, formulating meaningful and insightful weekend experiences for students. These individuals connect with students to choose small group leaders and speakers for the retreat.
Students play an integral part in running the retreat, as they perform a variety of roles, including giving motivational talks or even teaching yoga classes.
“Lots of planning goes into a retreat,” Lyons said. “The student spiritual commissioners of each dorm came together with our rectors and priests for many weeks to plan a peaceful weekend away from the business of school and life itself.”
Dillion Hall rector Fr. Edward Dolphin also spoke to the impact of dorm retreats.
“Making the time to go on a retreat and be intentional about stepping away is a good habit for students to develop since they will continue to have many obligations in the future,” Dolphin said.
Keough Hall offers the “Rootreat,” named after their hall mascot, the kangaroo. This year, the retreat brought students to Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, Michigan, over a weekend in January.
“The Rootreat is a faith-based weekend that focuses not only on attendees growing their relationship with each other as brothers, scholars and champions but also offers a Christian takeaway, deepening their relationship with God,” Keough Hall senior fellow Demetrios Fotopoulos said.
Schoppe lamented the fact that retreats are not very frequent throughout the year.
“One downside is that it is usually a one-time thing per academic year or semester,” Schoppe said.
Retreats offer an opportunity to unplug for a weekend, and students and rectors both are hopeful for more retreat opportunities being made available in the future. Additionally, they share hope for follow-up events to continue conversations and activities from the retreat.
“Many students have voluntarily chosen to not use their phone for the duration of the retreat as a chance to reduce distractions and allow them to be more present to the present moment and the people they are with,” Dolphin said.
Lyons said attending the retreat was beneficial to her.
“Faith and friendship go hand in hand, and retreats provide the opportunity for fruitful group reflection,” she said.
