The retreats at Assumption have become an integral part of Campus Ministry at Assumption and a meaningful experience for the students who choose to participate in them. The mission of the retreat program is to provide student-centered opportunities for faith development that take place in a communal environment. The retreats are intended to encourage reflection on one’s self and one’s relationship with God, while helping to nurture new relationships among retreatants.  In my ten years at Assumption, I have seen these retreats fulfill their mission time and time again.

Two of the retreats offered, START 1 and START 2, are student-initiated and student-led retreats, which specifically encourage reflection on issues of identity, community, commitment, faith, prayer, discipleship, and the problem of suffering.  While START 1 is the entry level retreat opportunity, START 2 takes place over the course of a full weekend at St. Benedict Abbey in Still River, MA ~ a site students have come to love. On both retreats, through student talks and discussion, I hear stories of joy, pain, healing, reconciliation, as well as the change and growth that flow from such life experiences.  Assumption students are challenged on these retreats, but they also form lasting friendships and become part of a new community that can, and does, sustain and uplift them throughout their college years. It is a privilege to be a witness to the power of these retreats and to the lives that are changed by them.

The Senior Retreat offers seniors the chance to both reflect upon their years at Assumption and look forward to life beyond college with hopeful and faith-filled anticipation.  Structured similarly to the START Retreats, the Senior Retreat is facilitated by fellow seniors. It provides students with the needed opportunity to reflect upon the past and confront the unknown, sometimes fearful, future with confidence in God’s presence with them.

The Spare Change Retreat differs from year to year but is intended to heighten students’ awareness of social justice issues. It’s ranged over the years from an overnight retreat focusing on homelessness to one fostering an open dialogue on matters of race and ethnicity. This year, Campus Ministry’s hope is to provide a retreat at the Heifer Project’s Overlook Farm in Rutland, MA as a way to educate students more fully about issues of hunger, poverty, and sustainability.

Campus Ministry’s SEARCH (Students Encountering And Responding to Christ) program provides local parishes with the opportunity to have students from Assumption offer Confirmation retreats for their high school students.  A program that relies exclusively on volunteers, SEARCH gives Assumption College students the opportunity to put their faith into action by sharing their own stories of faith with high school students only a few years younger.  Our students remind those preparing for Confirmation that faith is a life-long journey that begins with baptism and continues long after the Sacrament of Confirmation has been celebrated.

Through each of these retreats, Campus Ministry strives to educate our students in the Assumptionist tradition and assist them in various ways as they grow more fully in their understanding of Assumption’s motto: “..until Christ be formed in you.”

By Stephanie McCaffrey, Campus Ministry
Assumption College - Worcester, MA