​Class of 2018 Explores Spirituality at Freshman Retreat 

Though no classes were scheduled for October 15, the halls of Xavier still buzzed with activity. While seniors planned their Christian Service programs, and juniors and sophomores took the PSAT, the Class of 2018 had its freshman retreat, the first of many that the class will experience in the next four years.

The overarching purpose of the retreat was to examine spirituality and its fundamental, transformative presence at Xavier. Throughout the day, the freshmen, with the guidance of their homeroom advisors and their Big Brothers, explored the different bonds that form the collective Xavier experience, and the ways in which spirituality is present within these bonds.

Mr. Michael Mule ’04 began the day with a keynote address, in which he reflected on his time as a student and faculty member at Xavier as a means to help the freshmen recognize the manifest opportunities that surround them. He asked the class to routinely “consider all sides and aspects of faith and religion,” in order to better understand what they do, their own spirituality, and that of their peers.

Though its primary focus was to develop and explore spirituality, the retreat nevertheless also allowed the freshman class to spend time with each other. As schoolwork and extracurricular activities occupy a large share of a Xavier student’s time, the retreat offered a well-deserved break to laugh and reflect upon their first few weeks at Xavier. It allowed the Class of 2018 to create new memories, as well as to strengthen new and already extant relationships between the freshmen, their teachers and their Big Brothers.

From an older perspective, the freshman retreat showed how much the freshman class has grown, individually and together, since Freshman Fun Day and Orientation. Big Brother Luke Meagher ’15 said, “The freshman really took to the message of the retreat and the day’s activities. Their participation and camaraderie showed how much each freshman has matured and grown closer since Orientation.”

Freshman Jerardo Perez ’18 also spoke to how the freshman class is developing its own heightened, though growing sense of community. “With the homeroom activities and Mr. Mule’s talk, I feel like I know more about the meaning of community and spirituality at Xavier,” Jerardo said. “As the day went on, everybody was really comfortable opening up and sharing our thoughts with each other.”

At the end of the day, participants reflected on the retreat and on new insights gained from the program. All benefitted from the mixture of reflection and enjoyment that the day offered. The Freshman Retreat was a success, and the class is now ready to further explore the spiritual growth that their time at Xavier, whether in the classroom, on the athletic fields, or on the many retreats and service trips, will offer.