Retreats exemplify Georgetown’s commitment to a whole person education. During their time at the University, Georgetown students are invited to grow and develop beyond the classroom, paying attention to all aspects of their lives, including their spirituality. At the heart of the Spirit of Georgetown, uniquely expressed in the value of Contemplation in Action, is a recognition that leading lives of generous action in the world requires taking time for silent reflection. In simple terms: our doing depends on our being. We have an opportunity to lead deeper lives of meaning, belonging, and purpose when we make time and space for intentional quiet. The beauty of a group retreat is that it encourages both personal and communal growth, which is especially important at SCS where students come from a diversity of academic programs. We are fortunate at the University to be able to facilitate this kind of experience for students at the beautiful Calcagnini Contemplative Center, a spiritual home away from home that is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
This year’s SCS weekend retreat for students will take place at Calcagnini from March 12–13 (current students should RSVP here!). Offered in-person for the first time since 2019, this relatively new annual tradition at SCS has become a welcomed touchstone in the student life experience. The retreat’s theme this year, “Going Inward, Growing Outward, Seeing Things New,” reflects how societal realities like the ongoing pandemic, the persistence of social injustice, and the continued fragmentation and polarization in our culture are profoundly affecting our interior lives. Over the last two years, Mission in Motion has highlighted the many health, wellness, and spiritual resources that Georgetown offers to support students during these challenging times. The upcoming retreat is another opportunity for SCS students to develop habits of reflective self-awareness that are so important for cultivating ethical leadership in a world that desperately needs it.
Students can expect 24 hours filled with intentional meditation, reflection, relaxation, contemplative conversation, nature, and discernment. Even this short time away from home, work, and other obligations can create needed space in one’s interior life. The retreat’s focus will be on interior practices, like mindfulness meditation, the Ignatian examen, nature walks, etc., that can support us as we journey through life. A particular emphasis will be on the potential for healing the polarization that ails our society through the practice of deep, active listening. The art of dialogue, especially dialogue across differences, requires this kind of listening and learning in a spirit of mutuality.
The retreat will also pick up some themes from the Ignatian 500 Year, which we have been exploring this year at SCS and across Georgetown. In the same way that St. Ignatius saw things new as a result of his own response to the adversity of a cannonball collision, we too are invited to broaden our imaginations in response to the social, economic, public health, political, and cultural divisions that we continue to experience.
Sign up for the retreat by March 4, 2022, and direct any questions to the retreat leader, Jamie Kralovec, SCS Associate Director for Mission Integration, at pjk34@georgetown.edu.