Students Lead First Women’s Faith Retreat

By OCEANA FELIPE-SIRNIC

March 13 to March 14 marked the first student-led Women’s Faith Retreat. During the middle of this spring semester, students had the opportunity to sign up for a Women’s Faith Retreat at the Laurelville Retreat Center. 

The trip was overnight and the activities consisted of a low ropes course and listening to gospel music while reflecting on questions about their faith journeys. The students also had the chance to get into small groups and share more personal stories about their faith, which provided students the opportunity to connect and grow closer to God through their faith. The group also made their own faith bracelets.

Danielle Hegyes, Assistant Director of Social Media, Digital Content Creator at Seton Hill, made an appearance during the second day of the trip. 

Hegyes conducted a group discussion during an outside grounded session, where students gathered and listened to the sounds of nature. Hegyes also had lunch with the students while exchanging stories with one another.  

Student Retreat Co-leader Emma Thimons highlighted that the fellowship the group was able to experience was unexpected. 

“Something I wasn’t necessarily expecting was I feel like immediately we all bonded and kinda connected as soon as we all met each other. I don’t know if that’s always the case for retreats or just meeting people in general, but I feel like we all got that fellowship right away which was great,” Thimons said. 

Student Retreat Co-leader, Ella Peck stated, “I feel like everyone just really got along right away, I feel like our group connected really quickly which was great because it created a very community-like feeling and we just had so much fun together.”  

Peck stated she was able to take away many themes from the trip, one being recognizing God as a provider. 

Tony Kryzmarzick, director of Campus Ministry, was able to add emphasis on the progression that has been made after the delay of campus ministry faith activities due to Covid 19 pandemic. 

“I think that this retreat is a great example of how faith is growing on campus. When I came to Seton Hill six years ago in the midst of COVID, everything slowed down and Campus Ministry programs shrank. Since then, we have slowly built the ministry back up, mostly through student initiative. Brianna Howells came to me five years ago looking for a faith program during the day that commuter students could attend, so we started the Monday Bible Study that has since moved to Thursday Bible Study at 4:00 p.m. in the Campus Ministry Lounge,” Kryzmarzick said. 

Father Roger Statnick and Sister Maureen O’Brien of Mission and Identity at Seton Hill, joined the group on the day of arrival for a prayer blessing and dinner. Students were not made aware of this beforehand, and it created a nice surprise for the group as a whole.

Though this Women’s Faith Retreat was the first one to be held by Seton Hill, it certainly won’t be the last. We can see the impact that the retreat had on the students and faculty that attended and the room it has given for them to move forward in exploration of deeper connection and understanding in their faiths.