Students open their hearts to Christ during retreat weekend
“Jesus isn’t just the source and summit of this retreat. He’s meant to be the source and summit of our lives,” said Father Jim Chern, director of campus ministry for the Archdiocese of Newark. He was addressing a group of 47 students participating in the Newman Apostolate’s Intercollegiate Retreat Weekend.
The retreat was held Oct. 16-18 at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center in Newton, NJ, which is run by the Salesian Sisters. It was the archdiocese’s first weekend-long retreat in over six years. What had been an annual tradition was interrupted by the pandemic, Fr. Chern explained. “Bringing this back was something I had hoped and prayed for,” he said.
During the three-day gathering, students from local colleges — including Montclair State University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Kean University, Ramapo College, NJIT, and Rutgers Newark — had the opportunity to pray and reflect, to attend daily Mass, and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They also engaged in meaningful discussions, shared meals, and played faith-centered games together.
Recognizing the presence of Christ
Amid the center’s colorful fall foliage, retreat leaders encouraged students recognize the presence of Christ in their everyday experience, particularly in the sacramental life of the Church. Dan Palmieri of JMJ Missions spoke during the weekend about the powerful impact of the Eucharist and the Catholic Church on his life.
Nick, a Kean University student will be initiated into the Catholic Church next Easter, said that the retreat “really put a focus on the Eucharist in a way that felt direct. One theme kept coming back; how the Eucharist is the Body of Christ and so is kind of the center of everything.”
Shared testimonies about what the Eucharist has meant in peoples’ lives were impactful “in an extraordinary way,” he added. Retreat leaders also shared the importance of nurturing one’s faith and sharing it with others.
Meeting other “marathon” runners
For Jenn, a mechanical engineering major at Stevens Institute of Technology, the retreat was “an amazing experience filled with laughter, wisdom, and spiritual guidance that brought me the peace I had been needing.”
She also enjoyed connecting with students in a similar situation to her own:
“It opened my eyes to just how big my community is. Meeting others who are running this marathon alongside me, with similar stories and perspectives, was incredibly encouraging. If there was one thing I learned, it was that I truly am not alone in the journey to Christ. We are all in need of His healing and are all worthy of His love!”
Nick agreed. “Getting together with other Newman groups across the archdiocese matters because we are all one body,” he said.
An experience that can take root and grow
“It was such a joy to see our students eager to halt their own hectic schedules to take a step back and ‘retreat’ for a weekend,” said Lucia Pasternak, Catholic campus minster at Kean University. “College is all about growth and learning, and faith is no exception to this, even if you are at secular universities like our students. This was a chance for our college students within the archdiocese to focus on their relationship with our Lord amidst a busy fall semester and midterms season.”
As the retreat concluded, Fr. Chern thanked all those who had contributed to the weekend and gave a special shout out to the students for their willingness to “step away from everything else and give the Lord some room to speak to your hearts.”
He also expressed his hope that “what happened here doesn’t just remain a beautiful memory of a great weekend. That we’ve heard, prayed, experienced, and received in the Eucharist takes root in our hearts and changes how we live when we return to our campuses.”
You can learn more about the Newman Apostolate or campus ministry in the Archdiocese of Newark on their WEBSITE.
To view more photos of the 2026 Intercollegiate Retreat, CLICK HERE.
Featured image: Students from six campuses in the Archdiocese of Newark gathered for an Intercollegiate Retreat from Oct. 16-18, sponsored by the archdiocese’s Newman Apostolate. (Photos courtesy of Newman Apostolate, Archdiocese of Newark)
