The Chi Rho retreat is an annual opportunity for juniors and seniors to grow deeper in their faith with one another. The 4-day overnight retreat is based in faith, fellowship, and personal growth. Students develop better relationships with their friends and teachers, while experiencing Christ in a real and personal way. Chi Rho creates an escape from daily life through games, activities, and some special surprises throughout the weekend. Students are asked to put their phones away and be fully present in the weekend’s activities.

While Chi Rho is overseen by a group of adults, the retreat is largely run by student leaders. Students may apply to be leaders after attending Chi Rho once as a regular participant, and are then selected to represent a group of their peers at the next retreat. Natalie Perry ‘23 attended the Spring 2022 retreat as a member of the yellow team, and was selected to lead the blue team this fall. “I was inspired to be a leader after seeing how much fun the leaders on the Spring retreat had. I developed great friendships with some on them on that retreat, and they pushed me to go out of my comfort zone and lead others myself. Seeing the impact you can have on your friends makes the hard work of planning the retreat worth it,” Natalie said. “Chi Rho is such a special experience and I’m so happy that I was able to experience it with my friends and classmates as a leader this time around.”

Chi Rho has been so popular among students that the Campus Ministry team has begun organizing two per year, instead of the original one. Students come back from the retreat feeling refreshed and having a new sense of appreciation for their faith and for each other.