Title:Ignatian retreats and ‘the gift of faith’

A $100,000 gift from Judge Michael J. Talbot (B’67) established the Judge Michael Talbot Endowed Ignatian Retreats Fund in 2024, ensuring that all interested community members can participate in retreats offered by the Office of Mission & Ministry and Office of Campus Ministry.

These two, three, or five day retreats take place at the Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Bluemont, Virginia. They are based on the structure created by St. Ignatius of Loyola and often include a reflection component called the Examen, and the ability to participate in the Catholic Sacraments. 

Each retreat is tailored to a specific audience, from ESCAPE retreats for first-year students to retreats for alumni, health care workers, and School of Medicine students. 

Nominal student registration fees help cover programming logistics such as transportation, food, and overall operation of the Calcagnini Contemplative Center. Talbot hopes the gift will remove any financial barriers for those considering a retreat. 

Talbot, a retired judge based in Detroit, worked throughout the legal system for 40 years, most recently as the Chief Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals and Court of Claims. He has supported Campus Ministry programs previously but wanted to make a more significant impact after retirement. 

He chose to support retreats because “they can be helpful to someone in the moment or even later in life,” he says. “And so I thought that would be money well-invested.” 

Talbot hopes the $100,000 gift will serve as a foundation he can continue to build upon in coming years as he creates a legacy of giving. 

“I hear from students each year about how important the retreat program is to them,” says Father Mark Bosco, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry. “These times to get off campus to reflect, pray, and go deeply into building up one’s interior life is transformative. We are grateful for Judge Talbot’s gift that supports this essential part of Jesuit education.”  

Time for reflection 

Madeline Vitek Memenza, director for Main Campus mission engagement, believes that alumni offer support “year over year” for campus interreligious programming because Georgetown instilled in them the Ignatian value of giving back. 

“These Ignatian experiences have made an impact in their lives that’s positive, enriching, and enduring,” says Memenza. “I could think of no better gift than to make that opportunity available to others. Going to a Jesuit university really does make a difference, and hopefully it makes a difference in the kind of person you become.” 

Retreats are designed to help participants strengthen their faith and find support, take a step away from their daily worries, or even just “transform their day” in a small way, she says.

Noting that retreats offer space away from the usual fast-paced lifestyle, Memenza shares that even short-term opportunities for reflection can “make an enduring impact.”

Planting seeds for change

Whether for first-year students, seniors, or alumni, the retreats let the Office of Campus Ministry “meet communities where they are” and partner to integrate the Ignatian traditions into daily life, Memenza says. 

She thinks Ignatian spirituality also provides practical tools for “making decisions and making meaning of daily experiences.”

Talbot recalls his uncle inviting him to a spiritual retreat for lawyers and doctors. His uncle, also a lawyer, helped develop Detroit’s Manresa Jesuit Retreat House, named after the town in Spain where St. Ignatius lived. 

“Later on when things get a little bit more challenging, the retreats are one of the things that you can turn to for spiritual help,” Talbot says. “They help you clear your head and work through problems.” 

He admires that Georgetown offers retreats that accommodate student schedules, like the Prayer in Daily Life, which includes structured prayer time throughout the week, meeting with a priest, and a Friday cohort meetup.

For those who are curious about exploring deeper engagement, Talbot believes that the opportunity and invitation to connect more with one’s faith is key.

“Someone had to grab my hand and say, ‘Come on, I’m going to go… why don’t you join me?’” Talbot says. “The asking is a big deal.” 

Though he wasn’t particularly religious during his undergraduate years, the ethos “was all around you. It was a part of your university experience, and it sticks with you,” Talbot says. 

After reading and working to understand The Problem of God by John Courtney Murray, S.J., for a class, Talbot has kept his undergraduate copy and has reread it multiple times.

“At Georgetown, the seeds are planted. That’s the point. And that’s what this book’s all about—they were given the gift of faith. Over time if you just work at it and nurture it, the faith gets stronger.”