Slideshow: Men’s Campout

Over the Columbus Day weekend, Admissions Director Jon Daly, Director of Alumni Relations Mark Kretschmer, and Chaplain Rev. Paul Raftery, O.P., led a men’s campout/retreat for some 25 Thomas Aquinas College students.

The men traveled to Red Rock Canyon State Park, a two hours’ drive northeast of campus in the California desert, where they enjoyed spectacular mountain views. After setting up camp, they scaled the cliffs and found a natural table among the rock formations to serve as the altar for an afternoon Mass, which Fr. Paul then offered. Afterward the group settled in for a chili dinner and songs around the campfire. Finally, to conclude the evening, Fr. Paul gave a presentation, followed by a group discussion, about the role of virtue in the lives of young men.

The next morning, Fr. Paul offered Mass once again, after which the men feasted on a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and sausage before making the trip back to the College. “The campout presented a wonderful opportunity for the students to bond with each other while discerning God’s will in their lives,” says Mr. Daly. “We experienced sacramental graces and the blessings of friendship, all in a gorgeous setting that reflected the beauty and the depth of God’s creation.”