Urban Immersion and Retreat Program
In the months since the last newsletter, the Darst Center has been incredibly busy hosting urban immersion retreats and other programs. There are a number of schools and parishes which have been coming to the Center for years. We are forever grateful to those ministries and the students and staff who we have met along the way. At the same time, we have been able to foster some new relationships in the last few months. As new groups, we have welcomed:
- City Academy, St. Paul, MN
- St Agnes Parish, Weston, WI
- St. Patrick Parish, Onalaska, WI
- Holy Spirit Parish, Stevens Point, WI
- Youth Initiative High School, Viroqua, WI
- Christian Brothers High School, Memphis, TN
- Our Lady of the Valley, Helena, MT
In addition to these urban immersion retreats, we have welcomed for the first time the Jewish Teen Institute for Social Justice (Or Tzedek), a part of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA). Their two week summer program was facilitated by their own staff members and operated out of the Darst Center, allowing our staff to learn a little bit about a different approach to urban immersion social justice retreats, through the lens of another faith tradition.
This summer, the Darst Center was also invited to facilitate the Lasallian Social Justice Institute (LSJI). Faculty and staff from around United States who work at Lasallian ministries came together for a week in Chicago as we examined "Violence and Peacemaking in an Urban Environment." It was a challenging and eye-opening week for us all.
In the weeks to come, we are welcoming Totino Grace High School from Fridley, MN as well as TrekNorth High School from Bemidji, MN to the Darst Center. Please continue to keep all those who visit the Darst Center in your thoughts and prayers as we together, build bridges; together break barriers.
~Keith Donovan
Mission and Operations Director