Student retreat combines spiritual activities, fellowship, fun

Connecting with God and each other, the biannual Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Catholic Student Association (CSA) Retreat is an escape from day-to-day life and the stressors of school.

This year, about 80 students attended the event, which was held Oct. 14-16 at Camp Tecumseh, Pittstown.

The retreat was organized through Rutgers CSA by Brother Joseph Donovan, a member of the Brotherhood of Hope; Jesus Our Hope Sister Anna Palka, and student directors Tomás Cruz, a junior majoring in political science, and Erin Haney, a senior majoring in pharmacy.

The theme for the retreat was Fully Alive: “The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God” – St. Irenaeus of Lyons.

“To me, the theme Fully Alive means being able to surrender your life to the Lord and live a life that glorifies him,” Haney said.

When asked about how he became a director for the retreat, he replied, “I had felt strongly convicted beforehand that the Lord was calling me to serve him in some way, and after being asked to lead the retreat, it felt like this was where the Lord wanted me.”

Students began the retreat with dinner and fun activities, received a booklet of the weekend’s events with a cover drawn by Elaina Phillips, a sophomore at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of Arts. This was followed by a talk from senior Iza Bigos, titled “Awe for Life” followed by witness from Brother Patrick Reilly, also a member of the Brotherhood of Hope who is director of the Catholic Center at Rutgers.

Attendees started the next morning with prayer and breakfast, games, a talk “A Long Way Off” from Brother Brennan Robinson, a member of the Brotherhood of Hope, followed by witness from senior Francisco “Cisco” Almachi-Vera.

After Mass and some personal time, there was an exposition of the Eucharist followed by a talk entitled “Oath” by Evan Markel, St. Paul’s Outreach missionary; and a witness by Hannah Cunningham, also a missionary.

The day ended with all-night adoration and fellowship.

“Seeing this conversion [in Christian life] made manifest on retreat during Saturday night adoration is always the highlight of retreat,” Cruz said, “especially when we can enter into prayer and then be with each other for the rest of the night enjoying bonfires, conversations, and an abundance of joy.”

The retreat concluded the following day with a talk by Eula London called “Christian Virtue Fully Alive!” and a witness by Jesus Our Hope Sister Lorraine Doiron, campus minister.

After Mass, there was a Eucharistic healing procession and lunch.

According to a recent Lifeway Research Study, up to 66 percent of regular church goers stopped attending church in college. When asked about this and the goal of retreat, Cruz said, “Having a weekend to understand the glory of God and who he is, all of this means everything, because in the midst of our other responsibilities we can share with each other the love that we have and the joy of who we are as beloved sons and daughters without any distractions.”

“This [retreat] should lead to an encounter with the person of Jesus and his Church, and seeing how the Church is his mystical body,” he added. “It is then that we have an opportunity to enter more fully into life together as brothers and sisters in Christ, a relationship that has the potential for unity the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, much less at Rutgers.”

For more information, see the website www.rutgerscatholic.org.