By Donna Orsuto
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community.
Cultivating community with people from fifteen countries (this year, from Brazil, China, Cameroon, Egypt, Ireland, India, Italy, Greece Cyprus, Nigeria, Norway, Slovenia, Syria, Ukraine, and the United States) is both a gift and a responsibility. It is an amazing providential gift to think that people with such diverse backgrounds would choose to live together under the same roof while each pursuing their studies at various pontifical universities here in Rome. It is also both a personal and communal responsibility to make an effort to live not as strangers to one another, but as persons who genuinely try to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2).
One of the ways that The Lay Centre has tried to encourage this “Life Together” is to invite its residents to come away together on a retreat outside of Rome at the beginning of the academic year. Thus, last weekend, we piled into a bus and headed out to a little retreat house run by the Ancelle del Sacre Cuore di Gesł, nestled in Torricella in Sabina, in the province of Rieti. The theme of the retreat, “Reaching the Peripheries: Where the light of the Gospel is Needed”, was facilitated by Fr. Felix Körner, S.J., and included a balance between input based on Sacred Scripture and Caravaggio’s Madonna del Pellegrino, time for silence and personal prayer as well as communal moments of sharing.
Several of the students commented on their experience of the retreat.
Alja˛ (Slovenia) appreciated the possibility to get to know the other members of the community better. He remarked, “Life is busy in Rome and it was good to go away together and to have a chance to simply be with others without distractions.”
Philip (Syria) commented, “For me these were two days to reflect and to recharge my energy after a difficult period in my life. It allowed me to enter into myself and to make a step forward both personally and in my relations with others at The Lay Centre.”
For Sophia (China), the retreat reminded her of the importance of silence together that leads to greater love, knowledge and true happiness. Quoting Thomas Merton (who quotes John Donne) she remarked, “No man is an island.”
What helped Olena (Ukraine) the most was recognizing that God was seeking her and encouraging her to trust in his guidance for her life, to be more open to new experiences and to new people. She stated, “The experience of the warm community environment encouraged me to come to know myself, God and others better. Through the retreat, I came to understand the richness and the wisdom of the others. I hope through this experience to become a better witness and a teacher of the Christian way of life and to be of greater service to others when I return home.”
Benjamin (Cameroon) had this to say: “It was a wonderful experience with people whom I did not know very well. I enjoyed every single aspect of the retreat: from the beautiful and quiet environment of the community of Sisters to the words of Fr. Körner who guided the retreat, the food, and above all the possibility of forging new friendships. I am grateful for all.”
Gabriele (Italy) remarked, “It was really a constructive experience both personally and for the community. Torricella was the perfect location for being together and for enjoying God’s creation. This weekend helped us to be more united as a community.”
For Greek Orthodox Student, Christņs (Greece), what he appreciated was the opportunity to meditate on the Via Crucis that marked a path through the woods. During the weekend, the scripture passage that most impressed him was Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46).
Samantha (USA) was struck by the silence of the place: “The beautiful retreat house was little more than an hour outside of Rome but its silent, wooded isolation felt a world away from the Colosseum and the Celian hill. Its isolation and natural beauty allowed my heart to relax and listen to what, and who, God is calling me to be this year.”
The most senior resident of the Lay Centre, Filipe, from Brazil commented, “For me, The Lay Centre's retreat is always a great opportunity on two levels: individual and communal. It is about our personal relationship with God and with others. Individual, because, it is the right moment of the academic year to reflect about the year to come, where would I like to be by the end of this year and what I should improve to hear God's call. It is also in terms of community life, because we start this new path together, we share a great deal of our lives in Rome at The Lay Centre and therefore it is important that we start the academic year together, in prayer, spending time with a cup of coffee, watching nature or just going out for a walk. Each year, I see a big, positive difference in the community after the retreat and this time it was the same.”
Finally, our new resident assistant and leadership scholar, Isaias (Mozambique) expressed his conviction that the retreat will have a positive effect on The Lay Centre in the coming months: “The retreat was a way to get to know one another better. This will help us relate better with each other during the academic year.”
These are just a few of random remarks about our retreat experience, but they give me hope for our “Life Together” during the 2017-2018 academic year.
