According to an article featured on the front page of the Boston Globe, the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center offers College of the Holy Cross students a reprieve from their daily stressors, especially beneficial now during final exam season. The article was written by Globe religion reporter Lisa Wangsness who observed the “Eat, Pray, Study” retreat that took place from Dec. 10–11, which she wrote was “positively restorative” for the three dozen students who participated in the retreat.
“The idea was to offer a quiet place for students to study and unwind during the term’s most stressful period and to reconnect with their sense of God’s calling for their lives,” the article offers about the 29-hour retreat designed to be a doorway into Ignatian spirituality. “It was also meant to teach lifelong techniques for slowing down and focusing.”
In addition to studying, the Globe highlights the other activities students engaged in at what the media outlet calls a “hilltop haven,” including slow-form yoga, meditative exercises, the sharing of homemade meals, as well as ample opportunities to take in the impressive views of the Wachusett Reservoir.
This retreat was one of many the College offers, the article explains, “in a variety of themes and lengths.”
“Participation in retreats has more than doubled over the last dozen years, to about 500 students annually,” the Globe states. “The trend, college chaplains say, partly reflects students’ growing need for respite from a culture of frenetic overcommitment, digital distraction, and gnawing worry.”
The new center, which opened this fall, has allowed for the College to develop retreats and programs for alumni and faculty, in addition to students, the article explains.
Read the full article at BostonGlobe.com
Learn more about the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center.
Media Coverage
- Joyce Contemplative Center is included as the 31st photo in the Boston Globe’s “Globe photos of the month, December 2016”
Related Information
- ‘Holy Cross Retreat Center in West Boylston Serves Self-reflection, Solitude’
- Holy Cross Celebrates the Upcoming Opening of the Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplative Center
- Become More Campaign: Thomas P. Joyce '59 Contemplative Center
This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Evangelia Stefanakos.
