St. Ignatius of Loyola is the founder of the Jesuits and the patron saint of retreats. From the very beginning of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius decided that Jesuits would become “contemplatives in action.” This is about more than taking time out of one’s day to pray and reflect. It asks an individual to cultivate a deeper relationship with God by reflecting on how God has been accompanying him at a deep level, even if he hasn’t appeared directly engaged with God. Secondly, it’s about how the Holy Spirit perpetually transforms us into people more capable of love.

To know that St. Ignatius is the patron saint of retreats is to know about something that is central to any Jesuit vocation and ministry. At St. Louis U. High, retreats not only provide a break from intense academic demands, but they offer students the opportunity to grow in such levels of spiritual awareness. SLUH desires to form its students to become young men appreciative of this legacy. As students graduate from SLUH, we want them to possess the necessary tools for a lifetime of growth in his relationship with God. Retreats are an essential layer of a larger breadth of formational experiences that SLUH offers to its students.