Chaplaincy Students Experience a Transformative Retreat

Eleven students from Hartford International University’s Master of Arts in Chaplaincy program gathered in June for the school's second annual retreat, a three-day immersion in spiritual reflection, creative collaboration, and communal healing. Coming from across the U.S. — including Idaho, Texas, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Connecticut — the cohort explored questions at the heart of their vocation: Who am I? Who is God? Who are we?

Unlike last year’s retreat, which doubled as a practicum for an intensive course, this year’s gathering was designed as a standalone spiritual experience, setting the stage for an upcoming Spiritual Care class. Through art, ritual, and dialogue, students engaged in a process that was as challenging as it was transformative.

The retreat’s centerpiece was a collaborative art project — a canvas symbolizing their shared calling. Placing the Earth at its center, each student traced their hands, representing their unique gifts and commitment to service. 

“The process was not easy,” said the Rev. Dr. Janet Fuller, Co-Director of the Master of Arts in Chaplaincy. “There was disagreement and conflict, hurt and tears, laughter and reconciliation. Twice they stopped the activity to process a hurt, an ouch, and to restore the community and all members.”

In a closing ritual drawn from Tibetan Buddhism, with roots in Kabbalah and Hinduism, the students tied red strings around each other’s wrists, a symbol of protection and shared strength. As they passed the thread, each offered blessings for the group, their challenges, and their future ministries. “Those red strings symbolize the bonds of blessings we shared through the weekend in words, experiences, growth, and blessings,” Dr. Fuller said. 

Between reflective exercises, the cohort enjoyed lighter moments: a beachside cookout, a drum circle, singing bowl meditations, and board games. 

Faculty watched the students’ growth as individuals and as a group as they shared their theological and spiritual commitments, their own stories, and their understanding of what they bring to the world in need. 

“We are sure they are chaplains to serve the Holy One, the source, the hurting earth and its people, and who will be a credit to HIU,” Dr. Fuller said.