Six alums from different decades walk into a chapel. A priest and a spirituality guru yak from a lectern. When they finally stop and let the alums talk among themselves, all heaven breaks loose. They’re reflecting and sharing and connecting.
Okay, it doesn’t entirely fit the “six guys walk into a bar …” motif, and the “spirituality guru” is actually Erik Mertens (who would definitely not call himself a guru), and he and Father Alan Yost share some great thoughts from scripture and their own reflections. But it’s true that after hearing these things, several alumni (and the author, a Zag at heart) gather and create connections.
’77 grad Neil Fouts loves to find the humor in Scripture and is convinced that Jesus talked to his disciples the way dudes talk to each other today. He thinks so highly of his Aunt Audrey from Yakima that he drove her here to experience Zagapalooza with him. She’s a giant in her own right – an 88-year-old who still competes in tennis matches.
’05 David Berry has been abroad for a while, recently returning from Australia. He’s trying to focus on “being” more and “doing” less. Something we could all work on.
’05 Christelle Gorman, originally from Cote d’Ivoire, is now in Washington D.C., serving as the president of our D.C. alumni chapter. She says when she worries about things, she tries to remember that “Jesus has my back.”
’05 Kristin Farleigh and her husband Jadon met at Gonzaga and moved to Alaska where Jadon got a job as a petroleum engineer. They weren’t sure they’d want to stay long, but they love their hometown of North Pole, where they’re raising their kids and enjoying watching regular dances of the Aurora Borealis.
An Ignatian Retreat is not the kind of activity that garners a ton of tweets and likes on our social media channels, but these are memories of Zagapalooza that 72 retreatants won’t forget.
Kate Vanskike