FAQ

Infused with Theology of the Body insight, speaking engagements and teaching seminars span the school months while outdoor retreats in state or national parks fill the summers.  Into the Deep applies the universal language of the Theology of the Body to all ages and vocations – reminding each person to make an unrepeatable gift of self.

What do we still need to cover in this Frequently Asked Questions section?  

Let us know:  [email protected]

Most I.D. Retreats are camping retreats that typically involve some level of hiking and/or canoeing, cooking food on stoves and fires, swimming, watching sunsets and stars, chatting around campfires, sleeping in tents, and other basic outdoor fun stuff.

Short talks, discussion, prayer time (both as a group and on-your-own), Mass, and Eucharistic adoration are scattered throughout the day. The “schedule” is never the same due to weather, terrain, and people factors, but know that you will eat three meals per day, your body will be challenged as well as allowed to rest, and (hopefully) you will receive God’s gifts as they unfold.

Note that three of our annual retreats are held in lodges and the schedules are more structured: the Young Adult Winter Weekend, the Moms & Daughters Getaway, and the Couples Retreat.

While I.D. Retreats include many practices of the Catholic faith (including daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration), they are not limited to Catholics alone. We simply ask that you participate in prayer times and have a desire to explore the meaning of being created in the image of God.

We plan a wide variety of retreats for middle school girls, high school youth (ladies and gents on the same retreat), and for adults. See specific retreat pages to find out what age group it serves.

Yes and no…

YES because the Theology of the Body teaches us the reasons why we would want to be pure in heart and body (because we are made sooooo good!!!).  It teaches us about masculinity and femininity, why we are made male and female, and helps us understand what dating, marriage, and celibacy are all about.

NO because that’s not the whole picture of what the Theology of the Body teaches us! There is a bigger picture being addressed here – namely, who we are as human persons, what our purpose is in life, and what it means to love like God loves.

Each person is unrepeatable, and only you know where your child is at. Be at peace knowing that it is always the intent of our retreats to complement parents in the education of their children and to approach the participants with great sensitivity.

Since it is impossible in this small space to address the way Jen will nuance wording for each age group, we encourage you to call and discuss in greater detail what will be covered during a particular retreat: 612-788-9044.

That being said, the contents of I.D. Retreats are by no means to be compared with “sex ed” or even a “chastity” retreat. The main point is to educate youth (and adults for that matter) on the building blocks of what it means to be a person, made in the image of God, to love like God loves – ultimately giving them the tools to understand the logic behind not only chastity, but all difficult moral issues.

The Theology of the Body is sometimes misunderstood to be something that would reveal too much to children about their sexuality – but on the contrary, it simply reveals to them exactly what they need to know: who they are and why they are here.

Sample topics include:
* What it means to be a body-soul human person: intellect, free will, feelings, 5 senses, male or female.

* Being created male or female is always talked about positively: “differences are a gift that bring life into the world.” For younger children the emphasis is on how if we were all the same nothing would get done in the world. For high school youth the connection is made that because union is possible, life is possible.

* Our bodies speak a language: smiles, hugs, looking someone in the eyes, etc.

* The purpose of life is to give and receive real love (as small as smiling at someone or as big as laying down your life) so we can experience union with God in heaven.

* To love as God loves means loving freely, totally, faithfully, and in a life-giving way (this looks different depending on the type of relationship and state in life).

These baseline concepts will not over-expose the youth, they rather have the power to enlighten difficult moral topics in a simple and clear way. Thus language can be used that will not interfere with the innocence of youth but yet will simultaneously address more “exposed” youth. Again, please call to discuss if there is any question or concern in your heart or mind about what Jen will or will not say on a retreat.

Though there is great fruit from having groups of just men or just women on retreat together, we also see the importance of teaching teens how to enter into real friendship and how to work together as men and women. These retreats foster conversation about what it is to be human persons and how we are in this battle together…the unrepeatable gifts we bring to the table…how to treat each other as equals and yet how to serve each other well in our complementarity.

St. John Paul II says in the Theology of the Body that “human life is by its nature ‘co-educational’ and its dignity as well as its balance depend at every moment of history and in every place of geographic longitude and latitude” on how we see each other as men and women. Our hope is to plant seeds of understanding personhood and thus give young people the sense of working on the same “team”, showing how these lessons apply to later relationships and families.

We offer I.D. Retreats in state and national parks throughout the United States; some are camping situations and others are held in lodges. For specific locations, see the current list of upcoming I.D. Retreats.

I.D. Retreats are typically outdoor camping trips but some are held in lodges. In the case of most fall and winter retreats, we utilize a lodge or cabins with the option for camping; see individual retreats for details!

I.D. Retreats are most heavily offered during the summer months, but we love all the seasons so we are excited to host retreats that incorporate downhill or cross country skiing, camping in the “off season”, and fall or spring hiking!

Let us know if you would like to brainstorm a custom retreat for your group over spring break, long weekends, etc. – school breaks are too much of a moving target to plan a generic retreat that is open to all!

“BASECAMP” retreats mean that we will be driving or canoeing to our campsite and setting up there for the duration of our retreat; we will travel to trailheads or canoe from that point daily.

Showers may or may not be available. On retreats that are near water, swimming is normally possible – but bathing with soap/shampoo is not allowed in lakes/streams/etc. (if that seems crazy, see below for information on how we stay clean!).

“BACKPACKING” retreats mean that we will each carry our belongings in backpacks while hiking distances indicated in trip descriptions. On canoe trips the gear will ride in the canoe part of the time but then be carried in backpacks (etc.) across portages by participants. We will typically set up at a new campsite each night.

Showers will not be available (with the possible exception of the start and end of the trip). On retreats that are near water, swimming is normally possible – but bathing with soap/shampoo is not allowed in lakes/streams/etc. (if that seems crazy, see below for information on how we stay clean!).

You may be thinking, “ok, if showers are not available and soap/shampoo are not allowed in lakes, etc. – there is no way I’m going to smell like that for a week!” But let’s talk about this.

On some level, participants will have to accept that they will not be sparkling clean during camping retreats (that’s a simple consequence of enjoying the great outdoors). Taking advantage of opportunities to swim will help a great deal but there are also some good tricks to consider:

1) Letting your hair go without washing for a multiple days is actually quite good for it, but there is also a product known as “dry shampoo” available. It basically absorbs the oils in your hair and you can go about a week without it looking like it has been that long.

2) Bring a washcloth with some texture to scrub over your skin when swimming. In particular, NORWEX brand microfiber body cloths are made to be used with just water – basically wiping everything that would cause odor off your skin. For more details on how they work, please inquire (we offer them for purchase with embroidered initials).

On backpacking retreats it is especially helpful to have the ability to clip a wet washcloth on the outside of a backpack; sew a loop onto the corner of the washcloth and bring a small carabiner for that purpose.

Each retreat will have slightly different protocol for emergencies, especially due to varying locations. Those who register will receive specific information about that particular location’s protocol – both how an outside party would make contact with a participant and how we will notify an outside party if the emergency is with the participant. If you have particular questions, do not hesitate to contact us directly at 612-788-9044.

“And God created man in His own image….male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

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