At 7:00 p.m. on a Friday night, students make their way from the parking lot to the doors of Dunrovin Retreat Center. They are coming for a weekend Getaway Youth Retreat. Alumni retreatants are immediately at ease with the surroundings, knowing they return to a safe refuge from their busy, distracted lives. A place where the presence of God is evident. First time retreatants walk in with a healthy bit of apprehension. All are greeted with a heartfelt welcome and guided to private rooms with names on the doors – personal space – for each person. This is an important space during the journey.
Gathering together for simple games, we begin to get to know others on the journey. Musicians lead easy songs, preparing us for times of worship later in the weekend. Youth ministers warmly teach us about retreat, inviting us into a positive weekend experience. Friday night is all about decompressing and becoming comfortable with our surroundings and new friends.
Then off to our first small group, we meet those who will be part of our small group discussions all weekend. The evening closes in the chapel with vespers, evening prayer and reflection, ending the day in the holy presence of God.
Saturday begins with a hearty breakfast, sharing food and conversation, followed by morning praise. This jumpstarts our day with activity, scripture, and prayer. In a large group talk, we learn about what it means to “make” a retreat as opposed to “attend” one. There is a difference! We are given tools to help us make a good retreat: guidance through scripture, prayer, and reflection. Next we experience our first 30-minute quiet time of reflection to be by ourselves in our rooms. 
There will be two large group presentations and two small groups today to dig deep into the theme for the weekend. The afternoon concludes with another period of quiet time reflection. Things are really starting to come together in our hearts.
Supper and a game give us a needed break before we prepare ourselves to celebrate Sunday Mass. Afterward we close the day with evening vespers. The chapel is dark, lit only with candles and a soft light illuminating the crucifix. Sitting in a circle, we sing and meditate from Psalm 46 – “.” Through song and worship, our spirits are calmed. Finally, we offer a sign of peace to everyone and head to our rooms for a night of rest.
It is Sunday. Time seems strange. It feels like we just got here while at the same time it’s like we have been together a long time. We have deeply entered into the retreat experience. Again, we sing morning praise in the chapel and join in our final small group. It is fun to work on a skit that demonstrates what we have learned and experienced this weekend. We are so comfortable with our new friends by now that this is an easy, cheerful task.
Too soon, the weekend needs closure and clean up begins. The people we journeyed with this weekend write affirmations on our door tags. After a final meal together, it is time to sit in a large circle and share how this journey impacted us. We must return to regular schedules and responsibilities. But it was good to get away for a weekend. And we carry the holy presence of God as we go.
By Jim Franzen, Founder of Getaway Youth Retreats
Retreats are designed for junior/senior high school students.
Click here for more information on the Dunrovin website.