Since 2007, our Academic Retreat for Teachers has been giving teachers, administrators, and board members — anyone involved in Catholic liberal education — the opportunity to rekindle their passion for learning while exploring the foundations of Catholic education with colleagues from around the country.
This event elevates reading from a privatized, cerebral process into a communal experience of charitable discussion, debate, and discovery, transforming the way educators introduce to their students the great works of the Western tradition.
With over three decades of experience leading engaging discussions, ICLE’s Director of Advanced Formation, Dr. Andrew Seeley, leads this retreat, balancing genuine fellowship with a deep dive into the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Held on the beautiful campus of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, the Academic Retreat for Teachers offers:
- The opportunity to taste Truth as it is found throughout the typical Catholic liberal education curriculum — in Language, History, Mathematics, Science, Literature, Music, and Theology. Discuss the emotional conclusion of the Iliad, Pericles’ and Lincoln’s stirring funeral orations, the trial of Socrates, Augustine’s dramatic conversion story, the elegance of Euclid’s geometry, Descartes’ rejection of classical education, and much more.
- Small group discussions led by master teachers with fellow Catholic educators who want to ponder the depth and breadth of a curriculum alive with Catholic wisdom and experience the joy of a vibrant Catholic learning community.
- All meals and evening social receptions, beginning with dinner on Thursday and concluding with lunch on Sunday.
- Sacramental and liturgical opportunities, including Morning Prayer, Vespers, Rosary, and Mass.
- Opportunities to explore the campus of a Newman Guide-recommended Faithful Catholic College.
- Shuttle service to and from Pittsburgh International Airport.
Space is limited for maximum personal interaction, and the retreat often sells out. This program is suitable for any educator with a love of learning, regardless of the teacher’s level of experience with seminar-style discussion.
SCHEDULE:
The program begins on Thursday, July 20, at 3 p.m., with check-in from 3-5 p.m. The program concludes on Sunday, July 23, at 12:15 p.m.
COST:
- Member School Rate: $745.00
- Non-Member School Rate: $795.00 (Become an ICLE Member School today!)
Registration includes all program sessions and materials, food, private lodging with community bathrooms, and shuttle service to and from the Pittsburgh International Airport. If you have dietary restrictions for health reasons, please let us know what they are in the comment section of the registration form.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
Partial, needs-based scholarships are available for vowed religious and educators interested in participating in this program. To request a scholarship, please complete this scholarship request form.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO OFFER THIS EXPERIENCE TO YOUR ENTIRE FACULTY?
The Academic Retreat for Teachers can be customized and brought on-site for an entire faculty. Contact Dr. Seeley at atseeley@catholicliberaleducation.org for more details.