The first class of women entered Holy Cross in 1972, forever altering the landscape of the formerly all-male Jesuit, liberal arts college. To commemorate and celebrate coeducation at the College, the Office of College Chaplains is offering a two-day retreat for female students and alumnae. The event will be one of many to be offered by various College departments to recognize this important anniversary.
The retreat, "40 Years of Footsteps: The Journey Continues...," will be held on the weekend of April 14 and 15 on the Holy Cross campus. The cost of the retreat for current students is $20. The cost for alumnae is $75 for a double room and $150 for a single. Bookings are on a first-come, first-served basis.
The group will be kept intentionally small — attendance will be capped at 20 current female students and 20 alumnae — in order to facilitate discussions about the roles that faith has played in each woman’s life.
Participants will engage in a variety of activities designed to foster relationships between female students and alumnae and their faith lives. Saturday’s activities will include discussions of faith, workshops and prayerful reflection time. On Sunday, the retreat will conclude with a fishbowl discussion designed to help the participants move forward with the lessons and skills they learned during the event and a closing prayer.
The retreat could become an annual event.
“In the Office of College Chaplains, we have recognized a need to connect alumni and current students in a meaningful way,” says Megan Fox-Kelly '99, assistant chaplain and director of retreats. “This is an attempt to provide a space for these women to share stories of faith and to discuss how Holy Cross has shaped their life experience.”
In an effort to incorporate as many ideas as possible, the retreat is being organized by a sizeable committee. Fox-Kelly, Marybeth Kearns-Barrett '84, director of the Office of the College Chaplains, and Virginia Coakley, assistant chaplain and director of Protestant and ALANA ministries, have been working with eight students and eight alumnae on program details.
The retreat is intended to animate one of the hallmarks of the Holy Cross experience: faith development in community with others. According to Fox-Kelly, the women’s retreat will offer both students and alumni an opportunity to grow and learn from each other.
“Current students can benefit from the experiences and stories of alumnae," she says. "Through this retreat, the participants can discover how Holy Cross and the faith that they developed during their time here has or can shape their life choices. Alumnae can find a renewed sense of hope and strengthen their relationship with God.”
Students can sign up here, and alumnae can sign up here.
Related Information:
Women’s Retreat Coincides With 40th Anniversary of Women at Holy Cross
Chaplains
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