This past October, the freshmen of Saint Ignatius were able to experience their first retreat as members of the Wolfpack. The day began at the Church of the Holy Family for mass. The students were divided into groups, and after the liturgy, they were able to hang out with their peers as well as participate in multiple activities planned by the Formation and Ministry (FAM) Department and Arrupe Mentors.
During the retreat, there were three breakout sessions in which the students could take part. One of the activities was in regards to world hunger. Students started by sitting down at tables that represented different countries. The number of tables per country depended on each country’s population. Then, each group chose a leader that would receive a number of crackers based on the amount of food in that country. The leader could split the food in any way they liked, but the goal was to divide it evenly for everyone. In the end, the results varied, some groups having multiple crackers per person and some having only a fourth. After the activities, the students answered questions about their observations. When asked about the world hunger activity, Quinn Hurley stated, “I did enjoy the retreat. I feel like a lot of issues like world hunger are being overshadowed by other conflicts and issues, so it was definitely very informational.”
Another activity was writing cards to cancer patients and elderly people, giving students the opportunity to participate in meaningful community service.
The final breakout session option was called “Voices of the Border” and was organized and led by members of the Kino Teens club at Saint Ignatius. These seniors embarked on a week-long immersion trip to the U.S.-Mexico border over the summer, and they used their experiences to shed light on a misunderstood global issue. Emma Hurley, one of the leaders, stated, “Sharing stories from our trip is one way in which we can advocate for migrants in our local community. Our goal through this activity was to present how we can humanize migrants as unique individuals, accompany them through their journeys, and complicate the multifaceted issue of the border.”
Additionally, this day marked the end of Kino Teens’ clothing drive for migrants experiencing their first Chicago winter. All of these activities highlighted different issues people around the world are facing, allowing the students to learn more about global problems and come up with ideas and solutions.
Mr. Corrigan, the director of FAM, provided some insight about the day. “We’ve been doing the Freshman Retreat for at least thirty years, probably even longer than that,” Corrigan said. “ The purpose of the retreat is to welcome Freshmen. The theme of the Freshman Retreat is ‘corpus,’ which is Latin for body. We want all the students to feel like they have a role in the Saint Ignatius community like different parts of the body have different roles.”
He also shared that, each year, there is always mass in the beginning of the retreat, but the activities can differ. He also touched on the role of the senior Arrupe Mentors, stating, “At the end, when the Arrupe Mentors prayed for you, we wanted you to feel safe. We want you to feel like the people older than you help you and share their experiences and knowledge with you.”
Overall, the freshmen enjoyed the experience and felt it was informative. One of the students, Sam Carmody ‘28, said, “I did enjoy the retreat. It was informational and it helped me become closer with my community.”
