Many compare a child to a fresh slab of clay: both are easily molded by external factors. Among these influences, the fathers hold one of the most significant roles in the lives of their children. Fathers not only serve the purpose of making horrible jokes but also function as role models for their sons and daughters. They teach their children the essentials in life, essentials like how to throw a baseball, how to mow the lawn, and how to maintain a strong relationship with God. Fathers and sons are able to grow in faith together, strengthening both the relationship between themselves and God as well as between each other. Jesuit students had the opportunity to strengthen their relationship with God alongside their fathers at the Jesuit Father-Son Retreat last weekend.
This past Sunday, a group of twenty-five Jesuit students and their fathers ventured to the Montserrat Retreat Center from 8 AM to 2:30 PM to participate in this spiritual retreat. The retreat was led by Ms. Crowder, Fr. Sidney, and Mr. Redding. It opened a spiritual dialogue between the students and their fathers. Among these students was Nico Elizondo ‘18, who cherished this time with his father.
“I really enjoyed how the bulk of the retreat was spent in actual dialogue with my dad. There was a time when we went to sit outside together and asked each other a few questions to spark a discussion that was really meaningful. The experience overall was very special, and I am so glad that we went. It was an opportunity for us to take our father/son relationship to a deeper level, which I am very grateful for especially since I am leaving so soon for college.
Elizondo not only commented on how the experience strengthened his relationship with his father but also how it strengthened his relationship with God.
“Although most of the day was geared towards father and sons, at the base of everything that we did that day was God. I do believe that I grew spiritually because I was able to have these few hours of ‘retreat’ of all of the things I had to do. It was awesome to be there in the presence of God with my dad.”
He only discovered the retreat from one of the ‘Jesuit Now’ emails that he received in his school inbox. Intrigued by the opportunity, Elizondo decided to try it out and ended up having a great experience.
“I definitely recommend this retreat to anyone who would be interested and wish I could do it again. I almost wish this was mandatory for all students because our relationships with our fathers are extremely important, especially at this stage of our lives. We all need to understand that our fathers (or father figures) love us and encourage us to be the best we can be.”
As Nico described, the Jesuit Father-Son Montserrat Retreat was a rewarding experience for those who attended. During this season of Lent especially, we are called to a deeper spiritual reflection and prayer. Check campus ministry for more opportunities like this to grow in spirituality this Lenten season.
