These past few years, I have joined the team directing the May student retreat at Campion Center, Weston MA. Following the Jesuit precept of adaptation to persons, places, and times, the retreats contain similar elements to the exercises offered for many years by Father Joe LaBran, but there are also new elements. Silence remains the norm, and several conferences plus a homily at Mass every day. New elements include a daily conference with one of the directors, shared responsibility among the directors for offering points for reflection at the conferences, and a Taize evening worship service.
As when I worked with Fr. LaBran, student retreatants still amaze me in their generous cooperation with divine grace. There is no lack of evidence that the Holy Spirit is alive and well in surprising and wonderful ways during these days of grace.
As a distinguishing facet of The Cross, these four silent retreat sessions each academic year remain a mainstay of our life and identity, ad majorem Dei gloriam.