06.03.2020,
During the first weekend of the Great Lent, ITI students and faculty came together for a spiritual retreat. The purpose was to make time for silence and to delve deeper into the spirit of the Lenten season. The retreat was held on the campus grounds, with talks and small groups interspersed with time for spiritual direction and meditation. It was hosted by campus chaplains Father Juraj Terek and Father Martin Mayerhofer FSO, with additional talks given by Father Simon De Keukelaere FSO, and Taryn Dennis, a student of the STM program. The retreatants focused on the topics of fasting, self-acceptance, friendship with Jesus, the Passion of Jesus, and mission. They were encouraged to encounter Jesus’ personal love for them in a deeper way, in order to prepare themselves with body and soul to celebrate Easter.
The weekend's high point was an evening of Eucharistic adoration, with the opportunity for Reconciliation and intercessory prayer for one another in prayer teams. Gwendolyn Owen, a student of the Liberal Arts Bachelor program, said of her experience: "I am very grateful to have attended the silent retreat at ITI. The talks were thoughtful, inspiring, and eye-opening, and I found myself more closely connected to the community in the silence we shared."