Or, at least Mundelein is!
How much did we love gathering with about 50 alumni at University of St. Mary of the Lake two weeks ago?
THIS MUCH!
For our friends who could not make it this time, here is a little recap of the gathering:
We began the retreat on Friday, September 7 with the RI tradition of laying the altar, catching up with each other by hearing where we were currently meeting God in our lives.
Trevor Hudson then brought us into the mindset of retreat and introduced us to the weekend’s theme: Following the Jesus Way with John 13.
Saturday morning brought worship and prayer with Lacy Borgo, sessions and silence, reflection and engagement. That afternoon, we all caught our breaths a bit with a few hours of free time—space for walking around the lake, meeting in prayer, or a bit of napio divina.
Saturday night, we gathered to hear how a little hazelnut could remind us of the vastness and constancy of God’s love.
Sunday, we met again in prayer with Regina Moon and soon began our last exercise—the Lectio of the Weekend, reminding ourselves and sharing with each other the ways and means we connected with Jesus during the retreat.
All this took place, of course, at the beautiful USML campus, where we enjoyed comfy accommodations and delicious meals. Fellowship, food, faith, and fun … a perfect weekend retreat! Thank you to all who could come. You were a blessing and a reminder of just how special this RI community is.
We can hardly wait to do it again!
P.S. #1: Yes. There were lots and lots of M&Ms!
P.S. #2: Those of you who were at the retreat will recall that Trevor told a story about his great passion for (and difficulty sharing) a certain dessert. It may interest you to know that we happened to find a Portuguese bakery in Chicago during the residency week, and so I am sure you can guess what that means … PASTEIS DE NATAS!!!
Of course, he’s still offering to share!
True fact: The more we get together, the happier we really are!