Rising 3 Social Justice Retreat 2016

“Then Jesus said, ‘What can I compare God’s kingdom with? It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast into three batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.’”
Luke 13:20-21

Based on this scripture, the Rising 3 Social Justice Retreat strives to expand the yeast of gospel-based social justice awareness among Marian University students. Beginning with 12 weeks of spiritual formation, student leaders become grounded in the principles of Catholic social teaching in order to offer an educational and experiential retreat experience to their peers. The two-day retreat, held this year at St. Michael the Archangel Parish Life Center, incorporates reflection, direct service, student witnesses, social justice, stations of the cross, and a hunger banquet.

“I have learned so much on the retreat. I have learned that charity and justice work together, and that justice is the goal,” said Paula Angarita Rivera, a sophomore who attended the 2016 retreat. “I have learned about Tear Down the Walls and that we are all united in solidarity and need to serve and be there for our brothers and sisters.”

As the staff of campus ministry, we intend to take our natural inclination to serve, to embody the corporal works of mercy, and explore the other part of social change, which is working for social justice. The Rising 3 Social Justice Retreat is an intensive, experiential, reflective, educational retreat aimed at raising our awareness of our Gospel mandate to be the change, be the yeast, in building the kingdom of God.