St. Norbert Retreat

At the end of October we said goodbye to our last group from a very busy month. We had the wonderful opportunity to be with students in the Gap Program at St. Norbert College. During the week and a half they were at the Darst Center, we learned about different issues of social justice that people face in Chicago and beyond.  The students' transformative experiences were evident through the words they shared with us as they looked back to reflect on the entire retreat. One student shared her experience and touched on the importance of getting mad and getting inspired by the stories you hear and the people you meet:

"The people I was able to meet and the stories I got to hear will stay with me forever. I remember the day we went to St. Leonard's and Precious Blood, the stories I heard that day really moved me. I was so mad that such bad things can happen to the best people. There were a lot of things that made me mad during this week, not only the stories but the Golden Shoes Project, the immigration vigil, learning things at Cornerstone, but I'm realizing that it's okay. I think the biggest thing I'm taking away with me from this week is to get angry. Get pissed off about something. That passionate frustration is what's going to motivate me to go and do something. Make a change. Service work isn't always going to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside. A lot of the time I'll learn a bout things that are going to make me sad and mad and crazy passionate and it's those experiences that will stay with me and inspire me."

— Autumn, St. Norbert College student