|
 |
|
|
USF senior Cindy Tejada (right) with a housemate from the L’Arche community.
|
Special Retreats Inspire and Challenge Students
Two special spring break retreats this year, L’Arche and Sacred Quest, challenged and inspired students in two very different contexts. At L’Arche, a living and working center for disabled adults and their able-bodied assistants, students experienced the deep care and compassion possible within a special community. Those on Sacred Quest traveled to the desert for a three-day fast on their own where the serenity and focus on nature gave them an opportunity for deep reflection. Both experiences, students said, influenced them profoundly and may even change the course of their lives.
Retreat With Disabled an Experience in Community
It was because most of her housemates couldn’t speak, that USF senior Ginny Zeppa learned how subtle communication could be. It was because her work partner couldn’t move his hands that senior Cindy Tejada learned the importance of touch.
Founded in 1964 as a multi-faith community for disabled people and their assistants, L’Arche has more than 120 sites around the world. The USF students lived with the disabled in their homes, shared meals, and worked with them at the center’s woodery or arts and crafts studio. In the spirit of the community, the students were not there to assist the disabled but to share in their companionship.
“I was really touched by their lifestyles and spirits,” Zeppa said. “I felt very connected to some of the members.”
“We were there to be with them, not necessarily doing something,” said Rev. Dina Gardner, associate director of University Ministry and a member of the retreat. “This was about a prayerful, contemplative way of being.”
Zeppa said because of severe physical disabilities, three of the members she lived with could not speak and two could not walk. “I had to rework how I normally communicate with people,” Zeppa said. “I had to learn to read facial signs or recognize sounds.”
As part of the community, Zeppa helped prepare meals and assisted members with small tasks such as taking off their coats and mittens when they came in from the Canadian snow. But a large part of her time was spent being a companion, watching videos or listening to music. She and other students said they hope they can inspire at USF the same sense of care and community they witnessed at L’Arche.
“There was a great sense of welcome and family,” said Cindy Tejada, who plans to return after graduation this May. “Seeing how much they enjoyed the little things helped me enjoy them more.”
Sacred Reflection and Fasting Part of Desert Experience
With a mixture of trepidation and interest, nine USF students traveled to Death Valley over spring break to spend three days fasting on their own in the desert.
Led by two guides who specialize in desert retreats, the students prepared for the trip’s logistics and reflective opportunities with a series of meetings discussing what to expect and how they wanted to use the opportunity. They learned everything from how much water they should drink when temperatures rose above 100 degrees, to how to anticipate a flash flood.
“I don’t think anything could have prepared us for such a big switch into nature,” said freshman Hilary Pasmore. “I felt lightheaded and weak, but knowing you have a mission helped.”
The idea of the retreat was to put students in a context where there would be no distractions of daily life, not even food. “I wanted to get some perspective, take stock of myself, and see where I wanted to go with my life,” said senior Charles Fairbourn, who participated in the retreat. “You gained a lot of clarity out there.”
Once the retreatants split off from each other to camp alone, and the fast began in earnest, Fairbourn said he spent most of his time in the shade of a large rock, thinking or writing in a journal. Mornings were usually the worst, he said, when bodily toxins made more concentrated from not eating, made him nauseous. He consumed a gallon of water a day and became attuned to natural time, rising with the sun and going to sleep with the stars.
“You start to hear the rhythms of nature and you realize that your hunger and nature are connected,” Pasmore said. “You see the coyotes scrounging for food and you understand how survival works.”
|
