The Knights Awakening retreat is canceled. The faith formation retreat hosted by Campus Ministry came to the decision on Tuesday this week due to low attendance. This retreat was originally scheduled to take place Feb. 10 through Feb. 12.

The Knights Awakening is one of the few retreats at Marian that allows for general public admission. 

The retreat faced many obstacles in the sign-up phase as it conflicted with other campus activities such as track and field, speech and debate and other retreats hosted for San Damiano Scholars.

Mary Kate Shanahan, University Minister of Discipleship, had been working on the retreat for months with four other university ministers and eight student leaders. The team moved the retreat to the first week of Oct. 2023. 

According to Shanahan, the students who registered are no longer getting the ministry, outreach and faith formation that is needed for spiritual growth. 

“I don’t want to compete with the San Dams… So to see there is interest from other students is pretty significant,” Shanahan said. “It tells us we are going in the right direction and that we are creating ministry opportunities that are best going to serve their spiritual needs. 

Shanahan said the student leaders had a big passion for getting the mission of the retreat to the Marian community. The retreat’s mission focused on growth and understanding the mystical body of Christ. Emphasis on a connection with community through Jesus Christ. 

“It was kind of a massive let down for [the student leaders]” Shanahan said. “I could see it on their faces, their hearts were just broken. They put in a lot of time and effort and really want to serve the community.” 

According to the Marian website, a Discipleship Retreat, also open to the public, will take place from April 14 to 16. Shanahan is in the process of getting the location finalized. She hoped to have it at Marian’s Ancilla campus.