Retreats

Updated: June 14, 2023

SLUH has a four-year retreat program that requires students to participate each of their four years. Contact Mrs. Simonie Anzalone, Campus Minister, at (314) 269-2148 or sanzalone@sluh.org with questions concerning Senior Year Retreat Choices.

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 invites 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 realizing how the Holy Spirit perpetually transforms us into people more capable of love.

Retreats are central to any Jesuit vocation and apostolate. At SLUH, retreats not only provide a break from academic and co-curricular 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.

Freshman Retreat

Led by seniors and faculty members, Freshman Retreat is an exciting event in the life of a SLUH freshman. This is a required, day-long event for the entire class. The retreat is held at SLUH on a day when there are no classes.

For the Class of 2027, Freshman Retreat will be held on Friday, February 9, 2024.

Please contact Mr. Brian Gilmore, Campus Minister, at (314) 269-2130 or bgilmore@sluh.org. with questions concerning the Freshman Retreat.

Sophomore Retreat

Led by seniors and faculty members, Sophomore Retreat invites each sophomore to a deeper understanding and implication of:

Himself as an individual;
Development of his relationship to God;
His relationship and union to his classmates;
His responsibility to his relationship to his friends and family.

For the Class of 2026, Sophomore Retreat is Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5.

This is a required event for the entire class.
Spread over two days, the retreat is held at SLUH when there are no scheduled classes.
The retreat runs from 8:30 - 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4 and 8:30 - 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 5.
Students are able to participate in any usual after-school activities both days.

Please contact Mr. Brian Gilmore, Campus Minister, at (314) 269-2130 or bgilmore@sluh.org with questions concerning Sophomore Retreat.

Junior Kairos Retreat

Καιρός - "God's Time... a Time Set Apart"

All juniors attend a Kairos retreat to fulfill their junior retreat requirement. Kairos is a three-day, two-night, senior-led retreat held at a local retreat house. On Kairos, students join faculty for prayer, community, liturgy, quiet reflection, and reconciliation.

Kairos retreats are spread throughout junior year. Juniors should pick the one that works the best for their schedule.
Students should check their email and Campus Ministry Canvas Course for registration information.
Registration began in May 2023 and will continue until every junior has an assigned date. Several dates are already full.
All Kairos retreats begin at SLUH at 9:00 a.m. and conclude around 5:30 p.m. on the third day of the retreat.
The school has fully funded its junior retreat requirement. Families owe no addition fee.

Please contact Mr. Brian Gilmore, Campus Minister, at (314) 269-2130 or bgilmore@sluh.org with questions concerning junior Kairos retreat.

Senior Year Choices

Seniors have several choices to fulfill their retreat requirement.

Students should check their email and Campus Ministry Canvas Course for registration information.
Registration began in May 2023 and will continue until every senior has an assigned date.
The school has fully funded its senior retreat requirement. Families owe no addition fee.

Please contact Mrs. Simonie Anzalone, Campus Minister, at (314) 269-2148 or sanzalone@sluh.org with questions concerning the senior year retreat choices.

Retreat Leadership Program

NEW for the 2023-24 school year, the retreat leadership program forms and trains seniors to lead Freshman, Sophomore, and Kairos retreats. Participation in the Retreat Leadership Program fulfills a senior's retreat requirement. Applications were open in April and May 2023 and are now closed for the year ahead.

Senior Retreat

Senior Retreat is a NEW senior elective retreat designed, in part, as a follow-up to a student's Kairos retreat. Goals of the three-day, two-night retreat involve students articulating the specific movements of their faith and relationship with God in their time at SLUH, and students learning and practicing a variety of different prayer forms in preparation for their adult lives to come.

Retreat Dates: September 11-13, 2023; October 23-25, 2023; January 15-17, 2024

Wilderness Retreat

The Wilderness Retreat is a three-day, two-night senior elective retreat where students explore the natural world as a pathway into prayer and connection with the divine. The retreat content is structured around a series of hikes that invite the senior into praying and reflecting on the following themes: facing one's fears, setting out on a journey, and communion with the created world.

Retreat Dates: September 20-22, 2023; October 18-20, 2023; April 3-5, 2024

Kairos RETREAT

There is one Kairos retreat option for members of the Class of 2024 who didn't attend as a junior.

Retreat Date: September 25-27, 2023

Art Retreat

The Art Retreat is a three-day, two-night, elective retreat for a small group of juniors and seniors. Its purpose is to examine the ways that artistic expression can serve as a pathway to increased knowledge about the self, increased knowledge of the transcendent, and a deeper level of participation in the world around us. This retreat welcomes different forms of artistic expression, including the visual arts, poetry, movement, music and acting. Prerequisite: A student must have a particular interest and/or regular practice in the arts in order to attend the Art Retreat.

Retreat Date: October 11-13, 2023

Urban Encounter Retreat

The Urban Encounter Retreat is a two-day, one-night retreat that explores what it is like to be homeless in the city of St. Louis. We will look at poverty from several angles in conjunction with Catholic Social Teaching in an attempt to gain clarity about how the Catholic faith leads to action in regards to these issues.

Retreat Date: November 16-17, 2023

Manresa Retreat

The Manresa Retreat is a three-day, two-night retreat in which seniors are invited to explore the power of silent prayer and reflection, in the tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The title of the retreat comes from St. Ignatius' experience at Manresa where, among other experiences, he sat down at the River Cardoner and began to find clarity about the purpose and direction of his life.

Seniors are invited into personal prayer, silence, one-on-one conversation, and some group sharing to talk about their lives and how God might be working in their lives as they look beyond high school.

Retreat Date: January 10-12, 2024

Philia Retreat

φιλία ... "Affectionate Regard & Friendship" ... "Brotherly Love"

The Philia Retreat is an overnight retreat that offers sophomores, juniors and seniors the opportunity to reflect on issues of diversity from a spiritual perspective. Sponsored by ACES, the retreat is meant for students who have committed themselves to thinking about diversity in advance of the retreat experience. As a prerequisite for attending the Philia Retreat, retreatants are expected to have attended ACES meetings regularly or to be otherwise engaged with diversity at SLUH. Speak with Mr. Adam Cruz, ACES moderator, if you have questions about whether this would be a good retreat for you.

Retreat Date: March 27-28, 2024

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