The Office of the ADNU Graduate School in coordination with the ADNU Office of Mission and Identity, successfully conducted the 1-day Ignatian Retreat on December 8, 2024 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Ateneo de Naga University.
A total of 116 Graduate students both Catholic and non-Catholic attended the said spiritual activity. They were held in two (2) separate groups in a Face-to-face, Live Out modality inside the ADNU main campus: Arrupe Convention Hall and Alingal Multipurpose Hall.
The theme of the retreat is “Finding God in All Things: Amidst the Chaos of Typhoon Kristine”, considering that almost all were affected by the flooding brought about by Typhoon Kristine in October.
The Retreat Directors were Fr. Celerinio Ignacio Reyes, SJ of the ADNU Office of Mission and Identity, and Fr. Martin Licup, SJ of the ADNU Junior High School. Their retreat groups had two (2) sessions and a reflection/prayer period for the student-participants. Then, there were Spiritual Conversations in Small Groups each led by one (1) facilitator, and Plenary Processing. The two (2) retreat groups were successfully concluded by a Eucharistic Celebration.
The Office of the Graduate School offered this retreat activity every first semester of the school year as a student requirement of the subjects offered: Ignatian Philosophy in Education, Ignatian Philosophy of Business and Leadership, and Characteristics of Jesuit Education. These are requisite courses for graduate students to be introduced to the life and worldview of St. Ignatius of Loyola as a springboard for the appropriation of Ignatian values in education, business, and leadership based on the needs of the present times. The early Jesuit history and the spiritual vision on which the characteristics of Jesuit education are based are also learned by the students. Other interested Atenean graduate students joined as well for it draws inspiration from Ignatian spirituality in making decisions and positions in everyday life.
The Graduate School hopes that, through this retreat, students would be able to deepen the retreatants’ understanding of the Spiritual Exercises and its relevance in daily life, particularly in one’s practice of profession.
Prepared by:
Christaine Mae Bael
Administrative Assistant -Graduate School
