Since 2007, our Academic Retreats have provided new and veteran teachers, school leaders, and broader school communities with the opportunity to rekindle their passion for learning, and to develop their understanding and practice of Catholic education.
ICLE’s Academic Retreats are a practical and formative experience of one of the key elements of a liberal arts education: the art and practice of seminar discussion.
At the Academic Retreat, participants will consider the form and method of the seminar discussion, and then immerse themselves in great works of literature, art, history, mathematics, science, philosophy, and theology, a communal experience of charitable discussion, debate, and discovery.
Led by master teachers, these small-group discussions guide Catholic educators to ponder the depth and breadth of a curriculum alive with Catholic wisdom, and to experience the joy of a vibrant Catholic learning community
These experiences and the discussions that follow provide educators with the practical experience of joyful learning, and prepare them to bring that gift back to the students in their classrooms, and to the broader learning community.
“Leisure implies an attitude of total receptivity toward, and willing immersion in, reality; an openness of the soul, through which alone may come about those great and blessed insights that no amount of ‘mental labor’ can ever achieve.”
– Josef Pieper, Josef Pieper: An Anthology
For more information on Academic Retreats, to schedule a customized retreat for your school, or to join the interest list for our 2026 Summer Retreat, please contact Tyler Storey at tstorey@catholicliberaleducation.org.
SCHEDULE:
ICLE offers Academic Retreats as a one- or two-day experience on-site for a school’s faculty, or broader community, and as a Summer four-day retreat, bringing educators together from around the country. Our next Summer Academic Retreat will be offered in 2026.
The Academic Retreat will be offered next in Summer 2026. Stay tuned for details. To be notified when registration for the next Academic Retreat becomes available, please click the “Register” button at the top of this page.
COST FOR 2026:
ICLE offers Academic Retreats as a one- or two-day experience on-site for a school’s faculty, or broader community, and as a Summer four-day retreat, bringing educators together from around the country. Our next Summer Academic Retreat will be offered in 2026.
TITLE FUNDING:
Title funds (federal monies administered by your Local Educational Agency) may be available to help offset participant costs related to this event. Past participants in this event have successfully secured title funding. Please review some helpful information HERE.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CLERGY AND VOWED RELIGIOUS:
A limited number of partial, needs-based scholarships are reserved specifically for clergy and vowed religious interested in participating in this program. If you are a member of the clergy or a vowed religious interested in applying for a scholarship, please complete this scholarship request form.
CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE:
Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are granted for participation in ICLE workshops, programs, and events. You may request a certificate of attendance for a previous event HERE.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Due to hard costs incurred in contracts and planning, we provide a cancellation policy that aims to be respectful of your ministry in Catholic education, but also justly considerate of the fiscal responsibilities of our own ministry:
For all ICLE programs, with the exception of the National Conference, cancellations received at least 60 days in advance of the event will be honored with a full refund. Cancellations received at least 45 days in advance will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations received less than 45 days in advance will receive no refund.
For the National Conference, cancellations received at least 90 days in advance of the event will be honored with a full refund. Cancellations received at least 45 days in advance will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations received less than 45 days in advance will receive no refund.
Please allow up to 30 days for a refund to be processed.
QUESTIONS:
- For more information on Academic Retreats or to schedule a customized retreat for your school, please contact Tyler Storey at tstorey@catholicliberaleducation.org.
- To be notified when registration opens for our 2025 Summer Retreat, please complete our Event Notification Form.