A peek at the mysterious Magnify Retreat (and why you should go)
Viterbo’s Campus Ministry is putting on its recurring student-led Magnify Retreat the weekend of Nov. 22-24. It’s open to all Viterbo students regardless of religious affiliation, and even to non-Viterbo students who are interested in attending. Its goal is to foster the community-building and personal reflection necessary for growth in the Christian life. One of the things that makes the Magnify Retreat unique, though, is that there isn’t really much you’re allowed to know about it before you go. However, the overwhelmingly positive responses of students who have attended, and the number of them who come back to help lead subsequent retreats, speaks to the quality of the experience.
“Magnify in itself is kind of secretive,” said Therese Dehnert, a junior dietetics major who first attended Magnify last year and is now serving on the team that puts on the retreat. She wishes she had gone sooner. “During my freshman year here, I had at least six people on my case about going, and I decided against it. I wasn’t really in a good place with God, and I felt like so many things were happening that I didn’t have a whole weekend I could dedicate to fixing that.” Even when she finally decided to go on Magnify, Dehnert was really just trying to get people off her case. “I kind of just said ‘screw it’ and went,” she admitted. “I had been told by numerous people to expect great things, but to be honest, I really didn’t expect much going into it.”
What she experienced was the last thing she expected. “Not only did the one weekend help me to realize that I’d been hearing God’s voice all along in my own way, it gave me a community to grow my faith in and keep the ball rolling,” Dehnert said. “I’m still not quite where I want to be in terms of my faith, but the Magnify Retreat helped me to get started on improving my faith life, and I am definitely better for it.”
Students can register for Magnify on Viterbo’s website under the Campus Ministry section. Registration runs through Nov. 13, and the cost is $20 for Viterbo students and $75 for non-Viterbo students. Financial assistance is available, if needed.
To anyone who’s still on the fence about whether Magnify is worth it, Dehnert highly recommends taking the chance and going. “I’ve known people who regret not going on Magnify, and I’ve met people who regret not going sooner, myself included, but I’ve never met a single person who regrets going,” she reflected. If you can’t make it to the retreat in November, don’t worry—another will be held in the upcoming spring semester. But if you can afford the weekend away now, consider giving Magnify a chance. “It’s never too late to start changing,” said Dehnert. “And if you want to make a change, why not start now?”