One of the great joys of the calendar is the annual overnight retreat for SCS students hosted in March at Georgetown’s Calcagnini Contemplative Center. This past weekend, nearly two dozen SCS students from an array of programs, representing the rich diversity of the School’s student body, journeyed into the Blue Ridge Mountains to experience first-hand the university’s value of Contemplation in Action.
The theme of the retreat was “Quiet, Center, and Connect” and participants were invited to more fully engage with each of these not as abstract concepts but opportunities for deeper spiritual practice. Led by myself and Rabbi Rachel Gartner, the School’s senior advisor for spiritual care, the retreat experience builds on years of innovating the overnight retreat approach to meet the needs of the diverse learners at SCS. One of the most incredible dimensions of the SCS retreat, which was again realized in 2025, is how much personal and communal spiritual transformation is possible in only 24 hours.
The first day of retreat was filled with all of the details of travel and transition, from the anticipated gathering at the SCS building to the bus ride out to the Calcagnini Contemplative Center. Despite having a sense of “who” signed up for the experience based on information captured on the registration form, the retreat team only begins to get to know the composition of the retreatants during this transition period. Upon arrival, the group oriented to the site, making immediate notice of the incredible natural environs of Bluemont, Virginia. The sensory experience of Calcagnini was enhanced by the bright sun and clear skies—quite the difference from last year’s rain-soaked first day!
After transitioning our bodies to the location, we began to transition our fuller selves to what the retreat entailed. In a sacred circle, we introduced ourselves to each other by naming the desires that brought us on retreat. We then engaged the first practice, Quiet, by settling our minds and bodies and sitting in pure silence for 10 minutes. This helped the group lower the literal and symbolic volume of busy life, which was then reinforced by time for silent solitude in nature before dinner.
Dinner on day one engendered deeper bonds of affection and fellowship among attendees. This spirit of community carried over into the second practice, Center, in which I invited retreatants to center themselves with a spiritual practice of mindfulness meditation based on Centering Prayer, a tradition in contemplative Christian spirituality. Each of us in our silence chose a sacred word or phrase to help gently push aside the mental and emotional distractions and return to a deeper center. This led to the opportunity to share in small groups about what is at the center of our lives these days. The affectionate and supportive small groups created caring containers for active listening. The first day ended with an Examen meditation from the Jesuit spiritual tradition and the opportunity for socializing with games and snacks.
Day two featured the spiritual leadership and guidance of Rabbi Rachel Gartner who led a series of dialogue-based activities modeled on her work at Georgetown’s Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics, in particular the “In Your Shoes” program. While new to most—if not all—participants, the methodology of acting out the scripts based on recorded one-on-one conversations helped build greater awareness and attunement to both the burdens and the joys that SCS students carry. The breakthroughs in self and community were evident in the morning of day two as retreatants began to prepare for lunch, evaluation, and departure back to campus.
There is no single way to measure the success of a retreat, but one informative indicator is how the participants evaluate time on retreat in their own words. Here are some testimonies from the 2025 group:
- “I am leaving the retreat with so much joy and gratitude. The silent time and nature have allowed me to recharge and get a new perspective. It is a blessing to be able to be in this place and be intentional about reflecting on my life and purpose. It was nice to meet new people in different programs. I leave this special place with gratitude.”
- “I feel more grounded. I have a clearer sense of what I want for myself and how I want to approach the journey of transformation.”
- “I feel freer and more hopeful. This has been good for me to leave some of the worry about the future behind me.”
I hope this retreat continues to nourish the participants and inspire others to sign up for a future retreat!