Some might assume that graduate and professional students, unlike traditional full-time undergraduates, do not desire dedicated time and space for spiritual growth and community-building outside of their class time. This thinking assumes that adult learners in graduate and professional programs are already “formed” in their spiritual lives and are too busy for anything outside of classroom tasks. The theory might be that these adults carry so many other obligations of family, work, and social life that crowd out any interest in activities considered non-essential. To some degree, these assumptions have validity. It is true that most adult students have to be particularly discerning about how they choose to spend their school time in the midst of so much else. And it is also true in terms of human development that many graduate and professional students have already cultivated a well-developed sense of their personal, spiritual, and career identities by the time they arrive at Georgetown.
While it is true adult learners have different needs than other students in the life cycle, it is not the case that graduate and professional students do not need dedicated mission and ministry programs. In fact, the style of reflection, prayer, meditation, and community-building inspired by Jesuit spirituality (in particular, the Examen approach to consciousness awareness) offers particular benefits to adult learners. Adults learn best from their experience and desire to be in spaces with other adults who want to learn from their experiences, which we might call the “texts” of their own lives. Jesuit spirituality begins in this place by starting with a person’s lived experience and then entering into reflection and ultimately action on how to become an even more generous and giving person in the world. Respecting the context of these adult learners is the best way to design programs intended to build spiritual community.
SCS has made such reflective activities a key part of student experience. An annual student retreat in the spring semester has provided students with an opportunity to build relationships with other SCS students and grow in awareness of the need for quiet, reflective time and space in the middle of a demanding academic program. SCS will offer this dedicated retreat just for its students again in Spring 2023.
This fall presents a new cross-campus opportunity for cultivating reflective habits among SCS and all of the other graduate and professional students at Georgetown. From October 15 to 16, an overnight retreat “Rest, Recharge, Renew,” is being made available for all graduate and professional students at the University. Georgetown Law Center’s Campus Ministry is taking the lead on the retreat but other partners at the University, including SCS, are supporting delivery of the retreat. The intention of the retreat is simple – to give graduate and professional students an opportunity to take a break from school and reflect, relax, and build relationships with other students across Georgetown. Taking place at Georgetown’s Calcagnini Contemplative Center, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the retreat setting offers some welcomed time away from the business of daily life.
Inter-campus encounters can be rare at a big university but these opportunities are precious for developing a shared sense of community at Georgetown. I encourage SCS students to consider signing up for the retreat as spaces are limited!