“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” –Psalm 23

Holy leisure for me is spending time with my mother and father-in-law at their vacation home in Idaho, rafting the rivers, watching my son and husband fish and just unplugging to enjoy the beauty of nature God has provided us. After 14 summers, our children have grown to appreciate life’s simple pleasures too. –Gina (Camarena) Armbrust ’90 

A day hike along Valley Creek in Valley Forge always reminds me of the awesome wonders the Lord provides: birds chirping, a chipmunk darting, a beehive buzzing, a roaring creek. So many gifts–reminders of God’s love for us. –Mike Candelori, uncle to Chris Catalino ’15 and Jim Catalino ’13

Last summer I started drawing and painting for the first time in 31 years. I yearn for moments now to relax in a way that has been so dormant for all these years. Learning to see with acrylic, charcoal, and ink now takes my breath away into moments of creativity, self-expression, and peace. –Father Ron Raab, C.S.C.

In my leisure time, often I will contemplate God and God’s relationship to the scientific world. There’s something beautiful and comforting in finding harmonies between the two, and I think this image indirectly captures some of that. After two years of tweaks and upgrades, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will resume particle collisions this June. In 2012, the CERN collider confirmed the existence of the Higgs Boson, which is an artifact of the mechanism that endows all physical objects with their mass. In the words of James Joule, a father of thermodynamics, “It is evident that an acquaintance with natural laws means no less than an acquaintance with the mind of God therein expressed.” –Eric Chitambar ‘05

My wife Kate (SMC ’07) and I just returned from a trip to Europe where we celebrated her 30th birthday. We ventured to Southern Germany, Amsterdam, and Paris, and though the celebration, meals, and sights were all spectacular, perhaps the most special moment of the trip was an intimate 8 a.m. Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral that we crept into on our final morning. Though we aren’t fluent in French, we could follow the Latin, and it was insanely moving to experience the beauty and universality of a Mass in a foreign land. Talk about feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit, right? –AJ Cedeño ’07

A Cajun jam session, where the young learn music and culture from the wisdom of days past. –André (Duplechain) Polaniecki ‘03

Going on walks and hikes when he is home from Notre Dame on a break brings out our childlike wonder and awe. Leaping forward from rock to rock, simply trusting God is with us on the path. –Patti Scanlon

Faith and fairways. –Gus Nuzzolese

My youngest sister and my youngest daughter, enjoying some good ole “push-pat” in the midst of our big move across the country. These two know where to find holy, joyous leisure at all times. –Andie Clark, wife of a ’96 grad, and mother of a ’16 student

Exercise, work, volunteer meetings—my life never slows down. (Okay, some of it is self-inflicted—I am a ”Type A” personality.) But then I look out the kitchen window and I am reminded to slow down. It is like God is saying, “Hey, I appreciate all the effort, but I can handle some of this… Here, enjoy a break.” And I go sit on the back deck, and just disconnect, watching the sunlight fade. –Steven Rudnicki ’81

I have found that when the stresses of life and work have hardened me and made me more cynical, I am renewed by days spent in quiet prayer and retreat. Visions of Peace Hermitages are carved in the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Here the sun rises behind the crucified Jesus, with all the beauty of God’s creation as a backdrop. I always come back refreshed, with renewed purpose. –Diane Dirkers Jones ’84

My idea of holy leisure: solo trip in Canadian wilderness. I never felt more connected to God. –Gary P. Hunt ‘73