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During a Wilderness Immersion Trip, ������� Students Explored Ecospirituality and the Dominican Pillars

Under a canopy of cool, green forest in northern Wisconsin, spiritual connections blossomed this summer as new relationships with creation took root for members of the Dominican community.

From learning to paddle a canoe down the Namekagon River, to daily reflections on the natural world and the Dominican pillars of prayer, study, community and service, 13 staff and students from Dominican and Edgewood Universities shared a journey rooted in the Sinsinawa Dominican approach to ecospirituality and commitment to caring for creation.

Under the leadership of Sr. Christin Tomy, OP, university minister for community life and pastoral care at Dominican University, this Wilderness Immersion brought students together to experience God, creation and community in a new, profound way, Sr. Christin said.

“The framework of the trip is really to allow students a chance to explore their spirituality in a totally new environment and specifically to encounter the pillars of Dominican spirituality in a really practical way by having an experience in the outdoors,” she explained.

Students reflected daily on questions related to the Dominican pillars, such as, “How is this wilderness experience influencing your approach to prayer?” and “What gifts have you shared with the community this week?”

There were also nature-centered exercises and practices for contemplation, awareness, imagination and exploration. In one, the students were encouraged to find something in nature that captured their attention and reflect on their responses to it. Hiking, canoeing up to 14 miles in a day, prayer and team building also filled the days.

Joining Sr. Christin was Laura Hermanns, campus minister at the Sinsinawa Dominican-sponsored Edgewood University.

Last year, the two schools hosted a Wilderness Immersion, also rooted in Dominican spirituality, to the Apostle Islands of northern Wisconsin.

“For me, part of the experience is helping students build a relationship with creation, with  the hope that through that relationship they will come to better understand and care about the natural world,” Hermanns said.

And that is where ecospirituality ties in. 

Viewing nature as sacred, ecospirituality embraces ecological responsibility and is rooted in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, a call for care of the environment and its people.

This message, Sr. Christin said, is “foundational” to the purpose of the trip.

“Pope Francis writes in Laudato Sí, ‘Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise,’” she said. “There’s this idea in Laudato Sí that sometimes we can become very overwhelmed at the state of our world, at how much injustice is happening socially, environmentally, etc. But in order to sustain ourselves, we need to be motivated—to care for that which we love.”

And that includes the environment and each other, Sr. Christin noted.

The Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa have incorporated ecospirituality into their mission, practicing it in various ways, including running a sustainable, organic farm, installing solar panels at the Mound to improve energy efficiency, hosting ecospirituality retreats, and participating in advocacy that encourages large companies to adopt more sustainable practices.

“There’s a lot we’ve done as a congregation, but much of the practice comes down to individual Sisters and their different ways of living out this practice,” Sr. Christin said.

“At Dominican, with our mission and our commitment to ministry, the ecospirituality component is an important piece of what we do,” she added.

For Dominican senior Areli Camargo, the Wilderness Immersion trip allowed her to really experience the natural world in a way that can’t be replicated in a classroom.

“There’s a lot of doing,” she said. “You’re experiencing what’s being talked about. There’s a lot of spirituality in nature, and it’s great to talk about it and to say, ‘Go out in the forest on a nature walk, or go out canoeing.’ It’s all very hypothetical when you’re in a classroom.”

Isabela Flores ’25 participated in last year’s trip to the Apostle Islands and returned after graduation to join the Namekagon River experience to “disconnect from the noise and chaos” of city life.

“It’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone and, more than anything, learn from others,” she said. “It’s a really organic way to interact in an organic setting.”

Dominican sophomore Saba Javed said being in nature and disconnected from the technology of life changed her way of thinking.

“When you’re just in nature, it makes you appreciate life,” she said. “It makes you appreciate the life that’s not yours: the other beings, like the trees, the birds. It’s just so pure. It’s magical.”

Watch the wilderness immersion trip video .

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