Sounds of silence

The past weekend we had the grand opportunity to participate in the Montserrat retreat, which was put on by University Ministry. For those of you unaware, the Montserrat retreat is based on Ignatian spirituality, and is a  weekend spent mostly in silence at the Bozarth Mansion. During the extended silent periods, retreatants are free to spend time in prayer, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the mansion and experience the beauty of Bozarth and its surrounding acreage. There was time spent in group prayer and in guided reflection, but the most influential and important time of the retreat was the time spent sans noise.

Although we both had mixed feelings about spending an entire weekend in silence, we found the experience to be both refreshing and beneficial. It was difficult to see each other for an entire weekend without directing snide comments toward each other, but once we overcame the initial difficulty of maintaining silence, we found the experience to be extremely calming.

Time spent in silence is extremely underrated in today's society. As music, television, smartphones and other forms of media become more readily available to us, it is becoming more and more difficult to surround ourselves with silence. Even finding five minutes away from all the distractions of society seems  impossible in this modern age. This makes it all the more important to find time away from the distractions of everyday life,  even if just for a few minutes, in order to escape the constant buzz.

Doing this for an entire weekend provided us with all the silence we will need for at least a few years to come.

We really do encourage everyone to take a step back every once in a while and enjoy a little silence. Turn off your iPod on your way to class, switch off the radio while you are in the car or leave the television off next time you are doing homework. Whenever you decide to take this time out of your day, use it to think about something that has been on your mind, or just to reflect on your day. Much more comes out of silent reflection compared to contemplating life with Metallica or Greg Heister blasting in your ear.

While what we gained on this retreat is too personal in nature to discuss in this public forum, we want to stress that we both grew immensely from being able to spend a weekend in silent reflection. Montserrat is only one of many ways to deepen your spirituality through University Ministry. Regardless of how you view your spirituality, UMIN has something for you. There are all sorts of retreats and opportunities available for people of all faith backgrounds, and even for those who do not identify themselves as part of any particular faith.

Far too often it seems like Gonzaga is nothing more than a small public school with a pretty good basketball program. It seems like many people at this university shove religion and spirituality to the side in favor of "open academic discussion" when in fact religion was a huge motivation for founding GU, and should continue to be prevalent in the GU community. Through retreats like Montserrat, students who are concerned with growing in their spiritual lives can still take advantage of the Jesuit aspects of GU.

So stop by UMIN sometime this year. It is right where many think it belongs: Between "coffee and cash" in Crosby — as described by our very own GU-loving ambassadors on every single tour they give. Go check out the opportunities, meet the friendly people and if nothing else, snag some snacks from Cindy's jar of goodies in the entry.

Now shut up.