The Saint

By John Petty, Catholic Editor

Pilgrims of Hope – Photo by Mike Ingram

On Nov. 1, the Feast of All Saints, Campus Ministry traveled to Maranatha Bible Retreat Center for two days of reflection and prayer focused on the importance of living the theological virtue of hope.

1 Peter 1:3, New American Bible – Photo by John Petty

The retreat began with a beautiful All Saints Day liturgy in the Chapel. Fr. Jordan DeGuire, O.P. preached about John Henry Newman’s emphasis on the importance of living out faith, as opposed to treating it as a mere intellectual assent. In doing so, ordinary men and women, even college students, can become saints through the grace of God. After the Mass, the retreatants split up into groups to drive to Maranatha Bible and Conference Center.

When everyone had settled in, Fr. Robert Keller, O.P. had opened the retreat with a reflection on the state of the world, and the ever increasing necessity of living out hope. Keller had referenced Jesus’ calling of Peter as a starting point. Peter had emphasized his unworthiness, nevertheless, Jesus stood firm in the call.

Afterward, Keller invited senior Maria Hillary to give the first talk of the Living Hope Retreat. Hillary spoke of her early life, and how beginning college began to strengthen her daily practice of faith. Hillary emphasized that though following Christ does not guarantee day-to-day perfection, by the grace of God, one may continue to strive for eventual heavenly perfection as a saint. Hillary spoke of the importance of realizing that God loves one individually, and that there is a difference between mentally accepting the idea and actually understanding it. 

After Hillary’s talk, the retreatants split into two groups of men and women. These groups reflected on the key points of Hillary’s talk, and spoke of applying what Hillary presented to everyday life. Afterward, the retreats gathered together to eat lunch.

Some retreatants with the company of Odin the Otter – Photo by John Petty

After lunch, both Keller and DeGuire  sat down for another retreat Q & A. Both friars answered questions about their favorite Ecumenical Council, their opinions on Superman ice cream, advice regarding discernment as well as the importance of living for God.  Afterward, the Friars received a round of applause, and the retreatants were given three hours of free time.

During those three hours, retreatants were welcomed to participate in a multitude of activities. Many of the men as well as some of the women decided to plunge into the cold waters of Lake Michigan. Others decided to find prayerful reflection in the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Some chose to shoot some hoops in the gym, while others chose to simply rest and take things in. 

Making a joke, Freshman Johnny North said: “The [only] way to find God is to jump into Lake Michigan while in the middle of Fall.”

A Chilled Evening at Lake Michigan – Photo by John Petty

Lake Michigan in the Morning – Photo by John Petty

“Im really enjoying it, I like being part of the tradition”, said freshman Joel Warren. “[And] everything I’ve experienced so far, I’ve really enjoyed.”

Following the break, retreatants gathered together for Evening Prayer led by DeGuire. After Evening Prayer, a dinner of Domino’s Pizza was provided. 

Following dinner, junior Bonfils Matenga gave his talk centered on the story of Jesus and Nicodemus found in John’s Gospel. Matenga spoke about the importance of having a lively faith, not merely going through the motions that treats a relationship with God like a checklist. Matenga spoke of the necessity of avoiding a pharisaical view of prayer, and instead truly praying with a sincere heart. In this way, prayer is not a mere routine, but is truly an act of religio—that is—binding of oneself to God.

“I often find myself asking questions about the faith. ‘Why do I believe this? Should I believe this? How can this happen?’ These are common questions in my life,” senior Ryan Maddock said. “After Bon’s talk I realized that I was not the only one with these questions. We see Nicodemus with these same questions about our faith and listening to Bon really opened my eyes to relate to Nicodemus. It gave me hope and peace knowing that having questions about my faith is normal.”

After another small and large group session, Adoration and Confession was offered, giving retreatants the opportunity to encounter God Eucharistically and penitentially. At the end of Adoration, the retreatants chanted Tantum Ergo Sacramentum, and afterward transitioned into free time. During this second increment of free time, retreatants enjoyed watching baseball, playing basketball, as well as playing games. Following freetime, it was “lights out” for the evening.

Adoration Set-up – Photo by John Petty

Happy people being happy – Photo(s) by John Petty

The next morning began with an assortment of breakfast casseroles, and followed with Morning Prayer. After Morning Prayer, Father Jordan DeGuire, O.P. stood up to introduce the third talk to be given by Sarah Evon. DeGuire spoke about the application of the term discernment regarding both its overuse and underuse. For example, DeGuire noted how one does not need to discern whether to act immorally, for the answer is pretty obvious in its nature. On the other hand, discernment is not necessarily reserved solely for the big things in life like vocationally regarding the priesthood, marriage and religious life. DeGuire then spoke of the necessity to differentiate between the voices of God, the flesh, the world, and the evil one. 

DeGuire spoke of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, and his transformation from a soldier into an aspiring saint. While injured from battle, Ignatius began to read about the life of Christ and the Saints, and would notice an unleaving sense of peace and goodness experienced from such readings. This radically transformed Ignatius’ life, eventually culminating in his ordination to the priesthood, and eventually, becoming the founder of the influential Jesuit Order. Altogether, DeGuire emphasized the necessity in discerning God’s voice and actively seeking His grace, so that one may rule out all that is not of God in order to properly conform oneself to His will. This paved the way for Sara Evon’s talk about encountering the voice of God.

Evon began her talk about a story that had occurred many years ago on an airplane. Evon prefaced the speech with her family’s strong Catholic background, particularly Marian devotion through the Holy Rosary. Evon spoke about a time when she was praying the Rosary on a flight, and how she had suddenly felt a nudge to give the Rosary in her hand to the young man sitting next to her. After thinking it over, Evon eventually decided to go ahead and offer him the Rosary. As it turns out, the man in his thirties actually turned out to be a Satanist, and spoke of how he worshipped himself. Nevertheless, Evon persisted, and the man accepted her gift. Despite not knowing what became of that random man on the airplane, Evon’s action moved by a nudge, a thought that popped into the head, very well may have sparked an interest in Christ for him. 

Evon spoke of another time in her life when she had received another nudge to pray for a sick musician at her Church. After praying the usual family Rosary, Evon encouraged her family members praying with her to continue with the other sets of mysteries, seeking to continue intercession for this friend in need. The next time Evon and her family had seen this person at Mass, everyone clapped and continued charity toward him, and he had looked better than he had in a while. Evon’s talk exemplifies that oftentimes, God’s voice is not necessarily received in an auditory sense, and how many times, it can be a simple and gentle nudge.

Following Evon’s talk, retreatants took twenty minutes of time for quiet reflection and prayer reflecting on the overall retreat experience. After the twenty minutes concluded, small and large groups met for one final time, discussing takeaways from Evon’s speech. After the large group had ended, retreatants began to pack up and get ready for lunch. After eating sandwiches and enjoying each other’s company, the group photo was taken, and the retreat concluded with a closing prayer and a reminder to go straight to St. Andrew’s Cathedral for Mass. After taking food and meeting with the carpool groups, the retreatants departed for St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

St. Andrew’s Cathedral – Photo by John Petty

The Cathedra of the Diocese of Grand Rapids – Photo by John Petty

The retreatants arrived at the Cathedral to prepare for Mass. The Diocese of Grand Rapids, in light of the Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church, hosted a Mass for Young Adults and College Students. In the homily, Bishop David Walkowiak spoke of the increasing necessity of hope in the modern world, and how it is young people who must bring and live out this hope in the life of the Church. Following Mass, Aquinas students were welcomed to attend a dinner reception hosted by the Diocese.

“10/10. Would go again,” sophomore John Doudna said.