Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba, a Dominican institution located in Calamba, Laguna, offers a comprehensive spiritual formation program organized by the Campus Ministry Department. These spiritual formation programs cover recollections and retreats designed in fostering spiritual growth, personal reflection, and community integration among the students, faculty, and employees.
A hallmark of Letran Calamba’s spiritual formation program is the three-day retreat for graduating students held at Caleruega Retreat Center, Batulao, Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines. Various themes for the retreats are a.) PAGSIBOL: Retreat for Grade 6 students; b.) PAGHAKBANG: Retreat for Grade 10 students; c.) PAGLAKBAY: Retreat for Grade 12 students; d.) PAGHAYO: Retreat for Graduating College Students; and e.) PAGYABONG: Retreat for the Graduate School students.
These immersive experiences encourage the student-participants to engage in deep reflection, promote reconciliation with oneself, with others, with nature, and of God. Through these retreats, students are guided towards a holistic development aligned with the institution’s mission of transformative education.
For non-graduating students, the Campus Ministry Department annually facilitates daytime recollections, specifically, students from Grade 3 to the Collegiate level. Each recollection offers modules to ensure that the needs of the students are met, providing opportunities for spiritual enrichment and developing strong bonds with the community, laying a foundation for students’ personal and academic journey.
Moreover, the personnel of Letran Calamba hold their spiritual formation program known as GINHAWA Retreat annually. It aims to provide a meaningful rest and spiritual renewal for the Letran Community. This event underscores the institution’s commitment in nurturing the spiritual well-being of its members.
The recollections and retreats of Letran Calamba are integral to its educational philosophy which emphasizes the holistic development of the individual. These structured spiritual formation programs ensure that Letran Calamba students and personnel are not only academically equipped but also spiritually grounded and deeply rooted in Dominican values.
Written by Kenneth A. Ramos
Photos taken by Campus Ministry Department and Mr. Allen Angelo Villanueva
Source: CSJL