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Montserrat Event: Ignatian Yoga at the Joyce Contemplative Center!

Hi everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl and this less-than-snowy February (I am not complaining!). This week I want to profile my one of my Montserrat extracurricular events–Ignatian yoga with Bobby Karle SJ!

As I’ve mentioned before, Holy Cross has a yearlong seminar course called Montserrat, which is regularly scheduled and has papers and reading like any other class (in fact, it might be my most challenging class). My Montserrat is philosophy based and my professor is a Jesuit, but there are Montserrat classes in nearly every discipline! We participate in discussion every week and really get to know each other and our professor, because we spend all year in the same class.

Montserrat is organized in six clusters (mine is Contemporary Challenges), each focused on a different theme. Members of clusters are housed together during the first year, so Montserrat becomes a living and learning experience. In addition to regular class, Montserrat includes special events, like attending talks from visitors to campus, viewing relevant films, and trying new activities.

My friend Anne and I practicing yoga at the Joyce Contemplative Center on the Escape Retreat earlier this year.

Our January special event was a visit to the brand new (opened in 2015!) Joyce Contemplative Center, where we were introduced to Ignatian yoga, led by a friend of my professor, Bobby Karle SJ. We learned a bit about Ignatian spirituality in general, got to know each other a little better, and practiced yoga and meditation. Although Ignatian spirituality is rooted in Catholic thought–after all, it is based on the life and teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola–I found the meditation very neutral, and many of my non-Catholic friends said they were able to find peace and calm during the yoga and meditation.

It was a nice opportunity to get away for an evening and eat a delicious dinner at the Contemplative Center (it is well known on campus for its homecooked meals) and see our classmates outside of class and our residence hall. Overall it was a great experience, and I cannot wait until my next opportunity to visit the retreat center!

The chapel at the Joyce Contemplative Center (from http://www.telegram.com/storyimage/WT/20161031/NEWS/161039833/AR/0/AR-161039833.jpg)

Thanks for reading my profile on Montserrat and Ignatian Yoga. Check in next time for more updates from the Hill!
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Back on Campus: Montserrat, Hockey Games, and Jazz Concerts!

Hi everyone! I’m back on the Hill after a quick (but much needed) fall break. This past week was super busy academically, because I had a music theory exam Thursday and a big Montserrat paper due Saturday, but I still managed to do some fun things besides staking out my cube in Dinand Library.

Some quick background: I take four classes here at Holy Cross–Music Theory, Calculus 1, a first-year English course, and my Montserrat, which is philosophy based. My schedule in college is a lot less restricted than in high school, but that means I have to budget my time well during the day when I’m not in class, so I have time for other fun things (as described below)!

On Tuesday I had a mandatory Montserrat event, which was a dance performance called Les Nuits Barbares. It explored the legacy of European colonialism in Africa through dance and music and it was actually really interesting. Although, I must say, I was glad we had a pre-concert talk with the choreographer, because otherwise I would have been pretty confused!

On Friday, my roommate Elena and I went to the first men’s hockey game of the season on Friday night against Bentley. It was a great game to watch and Holy Cross won 4-3 in overtime! Go men’s hockey!

This is my friend Jacob on the ice at the intermission between the first and second periods trying to score a goal to win a prize. He didn’t score any goals, but they gave him the prize (some cool HC gear) anyway.

After the hockey game we went down to Crossroads to see the comedian sponsored by CAB (Campus Activities Board). I had never seen stand-up comedy live before so it was a really neat experience and the comedian, Sam Comroe, was super funny.

Last night, my friends and I went to see Mike Monaghan, the jazz band director, and some of his colleagues play a free concert in Brooks Music Hall. For some celebrity context, three of the five people who played (including Mr. Monaghan) are playing at the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall on Tuesday! It was really cool to be in such an intimate setting with some very accomplished musicians–and they took requests!

Looking forward, this coming weekend is Parent’s Weekend. I’ll be playing bass clarinet (for the first time!) in the orchestra concert on Saturday at 1PM, so if you’re on campus check us out! In the meantime, have a great couple of weeks and check back soon to see what happens on the Hill!