Chaplain - Alumni Retreats
October Silent Weekend Retreat For Alumni
An introduction to the First Principle and Foundation of St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. This silent retreat invites you to experience the depth of God's love for you. The schedule includes an opportunity for spiritual direction, reflections by the Chaplains, liturgies and ample time to pray, read, walk, and be still. We begin with dinner on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. and conclude Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. This retreat is offered concurrently with the first two days of the five-day Spiritual Exercises for students and alums.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Rauer Davis (edavis@holycross.edu)
Date: October 9 - 11, 2026
October Spiritual Exercises for Alumni
An adapted version of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, this five-day silent retreat will provide opportunities to experience the depth of God’s love for you and to discern how you wish to respond to God’s love in your everyday life. The retreat includes opportunities for daily spiritual direction, reflections by the chaplains, liturgies and ample time to pray, read, walk and be still. This retreat is offered for students but we will have a small number of spaces for alums. We will begin on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and conclude on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Rauer Davis (edavis@holycross.edu)
Date: October 9 - 14, 2026
Companions on the Mourners Path Retreat
Set against the peaceful backdrop of the Joyce Contemplative Center, this weekend retreat offers a supportive space to honor your grief in a way that can eventually lead to transformation. Drawing on Rabbi Anne Brener's book Mourning and Mitzvah as well as our Christian faith, we will gently explore the four dimensions of the mourning process Brener identifies:
The Physical: Recognizing the isolation of grief and anchoring ourselves in the comfort of a supportive community.
The Emotional: Engaging in the vital task of mourning—continuing the conversation with the one we have lost.
The Intellectual: Embracing the hard existential questions, including the rawest of all: What kind of God lets this happen?
The Spiritual: Learning to live with the profound paradoxes of life—horror and wonder, pain and beauty, death and resurrection.
Come as you are, with whatever burdens or questions you are carrying.
Dates: November 20 - 22, 2026
Advent Day of Prayer for Alumni and Parents
As you enter into the Advent season, give yourself the gift of slowing down and paying attention to the ways that God is at work in your life and in the world. There will be opportunities for discussion and communal prayer, and plenty of time for personal prayer and reflection.
Date: December 12, 2026
March Silent Weekend Retreat For Alumni
An introduction to the First Principle and Foundation of St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. This silent retreat invites you to experience the depth of God's love for you. The schedule includes an opportunity for spiritual direction, reflections by the Chaplains, liturgies and ample time to pray, read, walk, and be still. We begin with dinner on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. and conclude Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. This retreat is offered concurrently with the first two days of the five-day Spiritual Exercises for students and alums.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Rauer Davis (edavis@holycross.edu)
Date: March 5 - 7, 2027
March Spiritual Exercises for Alumni
An adapted version of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, this five-day silent retreat will provide opportunities to experience the depth of God’s love for you and to discern how it is you wish to respond to God’s love in your everyday life. The retreat includes opportunities for daily spiritual direction, reflections by the chaplains, liturgies and ample time to pray, read, walk and be still. This retreat is offered for students but we will have a small number of spaces for alums. We will begin on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and conclude on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Rauer Davis (edavis@holycross.edu)
Date: March 5 - 10, 2027
Women’s Retreat for Alumnae
Women students and alumnae of Holy Cross are invited to gather together for a weekend of prayer, reflection, community and renewal. With a focus on feminist themes and perspectives, the women gathered will have the chance to connect with God, themselves and other Holy Cross women.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Rauer Davis (edavis@holycross.edu)
Date: April 9 - 11, 2027
Marriage Preparation Retreat For Alumni
This retreat for engaged couples is designed to help you reflect on your relationship and to help you prepare for a lifetime of marriage. Over the course of the weekend you will have the opportunity to listen to the experiences of married couples, have time alone and together as a couple to reflect on your hopes for your marriage, engage meaningful conversations with your future spouse, and learn more about the sacrament of marriage and the Catholic wedding liturgy. This program is for all couples getting married at Holy Cross and for couples who are not getting married on campus but at least one of whom is an alum of the College. We will begin on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. and conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.
**Please note: the Marriage Preparation Retreat at Holy Cross may or may not fulfill the marriage prep requirements of your home diocese. (For instance, those who reside in the Diocese of Worcester must complete the diocese's official marriage prep program.) Please check with the pastor of your home parish to be sure.
If you have any questions, please email Emily Rauer Davis (edavis@holycross.edu)
Date: April 16 - 18, 2027