RETREATS
Held throughout the year, Mission and Ministry retreats invite Villanovans to step back from their daily routines, reflect on their spirituality and values, share stories and experience rest or a new perspective.
Grounded in the Augustinian values of interiority and community, retreats invite students to get away from the hectic pace of college life and focus on different aspects of their lives. Through group discussions, talks given by retreat leaders, meditation, games, fellowship and prayer, students can discover more about themselves and their deepest held values.
What do you do on a retreat?
- Slow down
- Relax and have fun
- Meet new people
- Take time away from technology
- Share and grow in your spirituality
- Strengthen your relationships
- Explore and reflect on your life decisions
- Come to know yourself better
- Encounter God
How do I know which retreat to attend?
You can choose the type and style of retreat you are most comfortable attending. Some retreats are quiet and include ample alone time, while others emphasize building community through sharing and group activities.
The pace of retreats also varies. Some retreats have lots of activity, while others are more reflective.
Some retreats are designed for specific students. For example, Escape weekends are for first-year undergrads only. We ask that these students attend an Escape weekend (held in the fall semester) before attending our other retreats.
How can I serve as a student leader?
Student leaders are an essential part of most of our undergraduate retreats. If you have experience attending retreats in high school or college, contact Kiva Nice-Webb.
Fall 2025
Check back in mid-September for registration to open!
Date & Time:
Friday, October 31, at 5pm - Sunday, November 2, at 2pm
Location:
Note: Transportation to and from campus provided
Audience:
First-Year Undergraduate Students
Description:
Get away from campus for a weekend of discovering friendships, exploring your faith and values, and energizing yourself to make the most of your years at Villanova.
Although grounded in the Christian and Augustinian tradition, Escape is designed for and open to students of any or no faith tradition. It is facilitated by the Graduate Resident Ministers and Undergraduate Peer Ministers through Residential Ministry.
What to Expect:
- Testimonials shared by student leaders, sophomore and junior students
- Considerable social activity, including sitting and talking in small groups and one-on-one discussions
- Moderate physical activity, including group activities inside and outside
- Time for individual reflection, reflection activities and relaxation
- Sleeping in bunk rooms
- Hall-style bathrooms and showers; single-user bathroom options also available
What to Pack:
- Comfortable, casual clothing for two nights and days (check the weather before leaving and bring layers for temperature changes)
- Sturdy shoes for hiking / walking outdoors
- Medications you usually take
- Reusable water bottle
- Sleeping bag or sheets/blanket and a pillow
- Towel and toiletries
- Board games, card games, or books for a low-technology weekend
Meals:
All meals are provided in the camp cafeteria. When you register, please indicate any allergies or dietary accommodations needed.
Fee:
$25, payable via NovaBucks or credit card. Registration fee covers all costs for the weekend.
Scholarship assistance to waive the $25 registration fee is offered through registration. Email Kiva Nice-Webb if you have further questions or concerns.
Registration:
Will open soon! Email Kiva Nice-Webb to be added to the email list for reminders when registration opens, if you are interested.
Date & Time:
Retreat: Self-guided, self-paced between September 29-October 10
Location:
Virtual, digital
Audience:
Villanova faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students
Note: Villanova employees, with approval from their supervisor, may attend this one half day with no loss of pay or charge to vacation time. To inquire about this, please contact HR for more information.
Description:
The Busy Wildcat Retreat is meant for students, faculty, or staff who are longing for space in their lives to slow down, reflect, and connect with God, but who might have a hard time fitting a weekend-long retreat into their schedule.
This retreat looks to help us learn how to make going on retreat a part of our everyday life. During this week, we will be encouraged to intentionally slow down and make space in our hearts and minds so that we might be able to become more aware of God鈥檚 presence in the ordinary moments of our day-to-day lives. Through this unique retreat experience, we hope cultivating practices and skills like solitude and contemplation will give us the chance to grow in our relationship with God and our faith, and consciously put our faith into action throughout our daily lives.
Each weekday for the two weeks between the community gatherings (Monday-Friday, September 29-October 10) you will commit to 30 minutes of some form of prayer and reflection, using the materials listed in this guidebook to support your prayer practice. In addition, you will commit to meeting with your assigned spiritual companion twice during the retreat experience, ideally once per week, to discuss your experience.
The theme of this fall's Busy Wildcat Retreat explores the Augustinian concept of unitas, the kind of deep mutual friendship and community practice that can reveal God to you, one of the Augustinian values prized at Villanova.
Fee:
Free
Registration:
Registration is forthcoming, check back for registration to open early September.
Questions? Email Kiva Nice-Webb, Campus Minister for Retreats, kiva.nice-webb@villanova.edu or David Walsh, Campus Minister for Sports and Spirituality, david.walsh@villanova.edu with questions
Date & Time:
Saturday, October 11
10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Location:
TBD, on-campus
Parking is available at the location, or it is about a 5-10 minute walk from the Villanova Station of the Regional Rail (SEPTA鈥擯aoli-Thorndale line).
Audience:
Villanova graduate and law school students.
Grad students of any or no faith tradition are welcome!
Description:
"We Search Together"
Meet your Villanova peers, reflect on who you are and how you are growing, and develop supportive relationships at this retreat for graduate students. You will hear from current students, share in small groups, and learn how Villanova鈥檚 Augustinian tradition can invite and encourage us all as We Search Together.
Meals:
Lunch provided
Fee:
Free
Registration:
Please direct questions to Kiva Nice-Webb, Campus Minister for Retreats, kiva.nice-webb@villanova.edu or Joe Nolan, Assistant Director of Student Engagement with the Center for Graduate Research and Education, joseph.nolan@villanova.edu.
Spring 2026
Date & Time:
Friday, January 30, at 5 p.m. - Sunday, February 1, at 2 p.m.
Location:
TBD, off-campus
Note: Transportation to and from campus provided
Audience:
Graduating Senior Undergraduate Students
Description:
Between college and graduation, 鈥測ou are at a crossroads鈥︹��
Graduation from college represents an important life transition, a crossroads between your past and future. Whether you're excited to be moving on to what鈥檚 next or sad to leave good times behind, this retreat makes space for the messiness of transitions.鈥疶o mark your transition from college, consider attending Crossroads: the Senior Retreat.
What to Expect:
- Time to reminisce on what your college years have meant to you and prepare yourself for whatever comes next after graduation.
- Stories shared by faculty, staff, and alumni
- Considerable social activity, including sitting and talking in small groups and one-on-one discussions
- Moderate physical activity, including group activities inside and outside
- Time for individual reflection, reflection activities and relaxation
- Sleeping in bunk rooms
- Hall-style bathrooms and showers; single-user bathroom options also available
What to Pack:
- Comfortable, casual clothing for two nights and days (check the weather before leaving and bring layers for temperature changes)
- Sturdy shoes for hiking / walking outdoors
- Medications you usually take
- Reusable water bottle
- Sleeping bag or sheets/blanket and a pillow
- Towel and toiletries
- Board games, card games, or books for a low-technology weekend
Meals:
All meals are providedin the camp cafeteria. When you register, please indicate any allergies or dietary accomodations needed.
Fee:
$25, payable via NovaBucks or credit card. Registration fee covers all costs for the weekend.
Scholarship assistance to waive the $25 registration fee is offered through registration. Email Kiva Nice-Webb (kiva.nice-webb@villanova.edu) if you have further questions or concerns.
Registration:
Registration will open after fall break, late October.
Date & Time:
Retreat: Self-guided, self-paced in March 2026
Audience:
Villanova faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students
Note: Villanova employees, with approval from their supervisor, may attend the Busy Wildcat Retreat with no loss of pay or charge to vacation time. To inquire about this, please contact HR for more information.
Description:
The Busy Wildcat Retreat is meant for students, faculty, or staff who are longing for space in their lives to slow down, reflect and connect with God, but who might have a hard time fitting a weekend-long retreat into their schedule.
This retreat looks to help us learn how to make going on retreat a part of our everyday life. During this week, we will be encouraged to intentionally slow down and make space in our hearts and minds so that we might be able to become more aware of God鈥檚 presence in the ordinary moments of our day-to-day lives. Through this unique retreat experience, we hope cultivating practices and skills like solitude and contemplation will give us the chance to grow in our relationship with God and our faith, and consciously put our faith into action throughout our daily lives.
Each weekday for the two weeks between the community gatherings (Monday-Friday, March TBD) you will commit to 30 minutes of some form of prayer and reflection, using the materials listed in this guidebook to support your prayer practice. In addition, you will commit to meeting with your assigned spiritual companion twice during the retreat experience, ideally once per week, to discuss your experience.
Fee:
Free
Registration:
Registration will open in February 2026.
Questions? Email Kiva Nice-Webb, Campus Minister for Retreats, kiva.nice-webb@villanova.edu or David Walsh, Campus Minister for Sports and Spirituality, david.walsh@villanova.edu with questions