A Chicago high school theology teacher’s summer course immerses students in the grandeur of nature

By Garan Santicola

Oftentimes, the best thing for you is to get away, get outside, and just be present,” says Brighdin Rief, a recent graduate of Chicago’s Saint Ignatius College Prep (SICP).

She’s talking about the On Holy Ground enrichment course she took at SICP in 2024, the summer before her senior year.

On Holy Ground is a for-credit experience designed by SICP theology teacher Tom Weiler, who came up with the idea two years ago while on medical leave.

“I used that time to start thinking about how I could connect my deepest, most authentic passion with my vocation to teach theology,” he says.

The course consists of two weeks of academic study, followed by a weeklong excursion into nature. In the inaugural year, 2024, students went to Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. This past summer, they went to two national parks in Utah—Zion and Bryce Canyon—and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

Natalie McDonald, another recent graduate who took the course in 2024, recalls walking amid Yosemite’s towering redwood trees. “As my anxieties calmed, I felt my mind clear. I could walk, one step at a time, just focusing on that and what was around me—more present than I have ever been.”

Rhian Jeong also teaches theology at SICP and has served as a chaperone both summers.

“Bryce has all of those rock formations that almost look like mud dripped from the sky and then froze there,” she says. “We got to do midnight hikes where we would stargaze, and it would be so windy, and we talked about Pentecost, when the wind descended. You just felt like the Holy Spirit was making us a blanket. It was incredible.”

In the academic segment of the course, prior to the trip, Weiler meets with students three hours a day to contextualize the impending experience. He takes full advantage of the quieter scene on campus.

“In the summer, I have a lot more time to take students outside to our beautiful campus with incredible landscaping and start making those connections to the natural environment,” he says.

Building up to an in-depth study of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, the On Holy Ground curriculum incorporates eclectic readings in support of biblical exegesis on passages where nature plays an essential role in God’s relationship with humanity.

“We look at Elijah and the theophany, hearing God through the whisper after the thunder and the earthquake,” Weiler says. “We look at Jesus’ tendency to go off to the mountain to pray at different times throughout the Gospels. We look at his withdrawal to the desert after his baptism for 40 days to take the solitude of the desert and reflect before he begins his public ministry.”

The trip involves continuous camping, regular hikes and journaling, with a rule against cell phone use to emphasize a shared experience amid the wonder of nature. The days begin and end with prayers written by the students. Throughout the day, conversation flows naturally from the academic side of the course on topics related to spirituality and caring for our common home, one of the four Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences.

“I definitely feel impacted to this day by my experience taking the On Holy Ground course,” says Annmarie Drapszo, another recent graduate and 2024 participant. “Taking this course has opened my eyes to be more aware of my impact on my environment. I pay extra attention to the amount of water I use, how much trash I produce, and my carbon footprint. Another thing I have noticed since my trip to California is that I find God in nature more and more.”

Bringing only six students per trip, Weiler has been able to create a curated experience, catering to various levels of hiking ability and interest, and offering ambitious hikes the first year, such as Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest at Yosemite, for those interested.

Another two-year chaperone, SICP Spanish teacher Fernando Fonseca, says those tough hikes at Yosemite prepared him for even greater challenges this past summer— climbing The Narrows and Angels Landing in Zion National Park.

“After these trips, I’m much more aware of what I’m truly capable of,” Fonseca says. “When you’re out there, surrounded by the greatness of God’s creation, you realize your problems aren’t as big as they seem.” The logistics of bringing the trip together is a labor of love for Weiler, and it is preparing him for a new goal that has emerged through the experience.

“My son is two and a half years old,” he says. “I can’t wait to take him on these same hikes someday.”