Past Retreats

Spring 2009 - (Faith) Journey: Don't Stop Believin'

The spring 2009 retreat was held from February 20-22 at Camp Andrew Jackson in McKee, Kentucky. The weekend began with some fun icebreakers and officially opened with the prayer Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton, which introduced the main focus of the retreat (personal faith journeys).

Alex Riedinger gave a moving talk about his personal faith journey and how, despite adversity, he was able to come closer to God. Upon the conclusion of his talk, students were encouraged to discuss in small groups how adversity has the potential to affect (both positively and negatively) a person's faith journey and relationship with God. After the students had some time to reflect on their personal faith journeys, John Brockmeier gave the next talk, which introduced the concept of a "life graph", a tangible representation of all the ups and downs in a person's faith journey. After sharing his personal life graph, John encouraged each student to draw his/her own life graph and share it with his/her "accountabilibuddy" (a Lenten prayer buddy who was responsible for holding his/her partner accountable for keeping his/her Lenten promise). Amanda Loviza gave the final talk of the retreat, a captivating analysis of her personal faith journey and how it had drastically changed over the course of her collegiate career. She encouraged students to be open to change in their faith journeys and to embrace the twists, turns, and roadblocks that God sometimes sends.

Other highlights of the retreat included Catholic Mass, an assortment of service projects, an impromptu dance party/energizer on Sunday morning, and a private concert featuring the Christian Rock band Last Day.

Fall 2008 - Catholicism 101: Why We Believe What We Believe

This time around, KCSC was hosted at Otter Creek Park near Louisville, Kentucky from November 7-9. The weekend commenced with introductions/icebreakers and quickly plunged into the underlying theme of the retreat, which focused mainly on Catholic teaching and Tradition. Caitlin Grothaus gave a fascinating talk about the history of each part of the Mass, which led into an interesting discussion about Catholic teaching. A Q&A session, featuring a panel of campus ministers and other religious adults from around the state, followed and encouraged students to ask questions about all things Catholic. Additionally, Chris Leachman gave a talk about what it means to be Catholic and encouraged students to seriously contemplate and consider how they could actively and practically apply the teachings of Catholicism into their daily college lives.

Other notable aspects of the retreat included a "Praise and Worship" musical session, a service project that involved making fleece blankets for the homeless, a powerful, candlelit prayer service on Saturday night, Catholic Mass, an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and free time to socialize. All in all, it was a fun, thought-provoking retreat!

Spring 2008 - Discernment

The spring 2008 retreat was held from February 22-24 at Gasper River Retreat Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Randy Barth and Kara Morrell gave inspirational talks about the importance of vocational discernment and encouraged retreatants to discern their own vocations and discuss their reflections with prayer partners.

Other highlights from the retreat included a "Praise and Worship" musical jam session (led by the incredibly talented Music Ministry students), a Q&A session with a panel of campus ministers and other religious adults from around the state, a service project (cleaning up debris around the retreat center and surrounding areas), and Catholic Mass.

The weekend ended with state team officer elections and a touching ceremony recognizing all graduating students. Overall, the weekend was incredibly enjoyable for everyone!

Fall 2007 - Let Go, Let God

The KCSC fall retreat was once again held at Camp Andrew Jackson. The retreat consisted of prayer, reflection, ice breakers, music, faith sharing and plenty of free time to mingle. All the participants had fun meeting new people growing in their faith, and sharing some great times. Students gave excellent talks, and the weekend changed hearts and lives.

Spring 2007 - Sacrifice

The University of Kentucky Newman Center hosted our spring 2007 retreat from February 23-25. The retreat's simple theme, "Sacrifice" fit very well with the Lenten season. Friday night began with a game called "Ninja" led by student, John Brockmeier, and an icebreaker called "Clump" (Kuh-LUMP) led by UK campus minister, Kevin Steele, "the Clumpmaster". Mary Furmanek gave a talk introducing the retreat theme and giving a personal example of a little sacrifice she made in her life. The campus ministers cooked a delicious meal of various soups and grilled cheese.

Retreat participants jumped right into Saturday morning with a quick breakfast and communal showers. Participants made their own journals for the retreat and listened to an opening prayer. Then they met their Lenten buddies. Natalie Barbian gave her talk on sacrifices, which ended with her asking a few questions of the participants. They used the questions in an activity called "Wander and Ponder" in which they discussed their answers with their Lenten buddies. Misti Smith shared her thoughts on why we sacrifice, and then the retreat members constructed nail cross necklaces. Afterwards, there was Mass, followed by dinner. Some KCSC members led a few Lenten songs, and then the pastor of the UK Newman Center explained the basics of adoration. Then the night became more serious, as the campus ministers led the discernment process. As the night wound down, the music team led some praise and worship music, and people slowly made their way to bed.

Sunday, packing began, and then Amber Brown closed the weekend with a final talk about sacrifice. Then each school took a group picture, and all the members elected new officers for the state team. All in all, it was one of the best KCSC retreats yet.

Fall 2006 - The Catholic Call to Service: Faith, Hope and Charity

The fall retreat at Morehead State University began on Friday, November 10, at 8 PM and ended on Sunday, November 12, at 1 PM. Participants enjoyed a few icebreakers. They joined large and small group discussions. Each small group prepared a community meal and prepared a skit describing either faith, hope or charity.

This retreat focused on service. Three groups went to a nursing home, an assisted living facility, and a recycling center to volunteer. Spiritual enrichment took many forms. The retreat included personal reflection time, praise and worship music, morning and evening prayer, Sunday Mass, and even a vow of silence Despite rainy, cold weather on Saturday, all those who attended stayed safe and happy throughout the retreat.

Listen to the fall 2006 retreat theme song, by Audio Adrenaline:
Hands and Feet (Please wait a minute for the song to load after clicking the link.)

Spring 2006 - Empowered by the Spirit

Our spring retreat was held at Camp Andrew Jackson, from March 31 to April 2, 2006. Representatives from Bellarmine University, Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Louisville, Morehead State University, and Western Kentucky University attended.

The 2005-2006 officers put together a great retreat that included icebreakers, peer talks, small group discussion, reflection time, liturgy, service activity, and social time. Students shared the three F's: faith, food, and fun! Discernment of new officers spread the leadership over multiple colleges. Overall, the retreat was a success.