By Viktoriia Havaleshko
We began the new academic year with a community retreat on the peaceful shores of Lake Albano at the Casa Divin Maestro in Ariccia. Twenty-five members of The Lay Centre community and staff, together with Paula Jordão, F.M.V.D., who guided the sessions, reflected on how to build both personal and communal life upon the “rock” of God’s Word.
The days of spiritual exercises, titled «Building on Rock: I can fly because I have roots», were filled with shared activities, prayer, moments of silence for personal reflection, and heartfelt community sharing.
As Paula Jordão, Formation Coordinator at the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and a member of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, reminded us, a retreat is a space for looking deep within oneself, and for remaining with questions whose answers take more than a weekend to unfold. She invited participants to actively explore their inner world, an essential process for growing in relationship with God and with others.
Embodiment as a gift and a path to encounter God
The first day was devoted to reflecting on the mystery of being human—on our most basic needs and on a deeper awareness of how emotions, feelings, and thoughts shape the choices we make and the actions we take. Paula Jordão emphasized the importance of recognizing our bodies as gifts from God. It is through our bodies that we communicate with the world, pray, and experience God’s presence and touch.
Too often, we overlook this dimension of spirituality, forgetting that Christ Himself took on a human body—becoming one of us, performing miracles, healing, and being present among His people.
Discovering the love that accepts without conditions
On the following day, participants entered into a reflection on God’s love—unconditional, constant, and ever near. In today’s world, our sense of worth is easily shaken: we often measure ourselves by others’ opinions, expectations, or reactions. Such tendencies can prevent us from truly loving and accepting ourselves, with all our uniqueness, vulnerabilities, and imperfections.
It can sometimes seem easier to believe the messages we encounter in the media or on social networks, comparing ourselves to idealized images and forgetting our own beauty and dignity in God’s eyes. Paula encouraged everyone to take up their own “atlas of the heart,” to explore its many dimensions and to grow into the person God calls them to be.
Because our community brings together people from many different countries, we are continually discovering that our cultural differences do not divide us but rather enrich our shared experience. Building meaningful connections creates pathways toward mutual acceptance and opens new horizons in our way of seeing the world.
God who descends into the depths of the human heart
Continuing the reflection on divine love, participants meditated on the inherent value of human life itself. Each person is far more than the sum of their actions, emotions, or achievements. Our worth is not defined by academic titles or professional success; we are precious simply because we exist—because we are seen and loved by our Creator, who gently guides us along His path toward salvation.
To deepen our sense of God’s closeness, Paula invited us to read a passage from Scripture describing Jesus’ journey from Nazareth to the Jordan River—a physical and symbolic descent from the highlands to the lowest point on earth, near the Dead Sea.
In the same way, God does not hesitate to enter the most fragile and hidden places of the human heart. The Father’s words at Jesus’ baptism—“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”—are spoken also to each of us. God knows us by name, and calls us His own.

Prayer, trust, and presence
Beyond the sessions, participants engaged in trust-building exercises and shared moments of genuine friendship in a spirit of community.
Our days began and ended in prayer—with adoration, the celebration of the Holy Mass, communal prayers, and the rosary for peace with Pope Leo XIV, which we joined online. Throughout the retreat, we were accompanied by our spiritual guide, Fr. Rafael Starnitzky, a priest of the Diocese of Rome and a long-time friend of The Lay Centre.
Silence and contemplation on the Word of God became faithful companions on this inner journey of depth. To build mature personalities, nurture meaningful relationships, and strengthen our faith, we need a firm foundation—a life “built on rock,” unshaken by the winds or storms that may arise.
We also shared moments of joy and closeness during our community evening, which concluded the retreat with a symbolic gesture: the exchange of small, thoughtful gifts among prayer partners.
The gift was a simple stone found in the garden of the Casa Divin Maestro. Each person was invited to write a word on it—one that would give meaning to the stone—and then offer it to another member of the community, as a symbol of a life, and a community, built upon rock.