2025 Third Chapter

We invite you to join us for a retreat at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, Arizona. The sessions will equip St. Olaf alumni, family members, and friends in – or approaching – the third chapter of life to journey further down pathways of purpose and meaning for life today and tomorrow.

Through active participation in reflection on our lives as Oles and honorary Oles, the retreat offers space for reflection and connections with others in similar places along life’s journey. We’ll create a vision for our vocation beyond occupation that we can take with us and bring value to the communities that matter to us (including St. Olaf!).

What Past Participants Had to Say

• Deanna’s agenda was perfect for this program. I gained more than I ever thought possible.
• I felt very well cared for by Deanna.
• I liked how we were in session for 1.5 hours and then had time to rest and reflect in between.
• The food at Spirit in the Desert was simply amazing, as was the physical space around the retreat center (labyrinth and paths). The staff at Spirit in the Desert were very welcoming. 
• The flow of the program was excellent.
• Length of retreat was perfect — not too long. The evening time for the group to socialize was a lot of fun.
• The opportunity to share stories with strangers who became friends was a major highlight. I also greatly appreciated Deanna Thompson’s expertise, theological insights, and willingness to share her own story as it related to the topic.

See more details below and use the Register for Third Chapter Retreat button above to join us. We also invite you to join us in Phoenix as a pre-retreat option! See more here.

You can join us only for the retreat program in Carefree, or combine the retreat with our long weekend in Phoenix, Back to the Future: A Pre-50th Reunion Adventure. You can view the first draft of the itinerary for the Phoenix adventure, or view the itinerary for the optional Third Chapter Retreat.

You’ll get the most out of study travel if you research what to do during your free time. This allows you to reap the benefits of group travel, while also customizing the tour to your interests and activity level. Read more about How to Be an Independent Group Traveler.

Deanna A. Thompson is Martin E. Marty Regents Chair in Religion and the Academy and Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community at St. Olaf. An award-winning teacher and author of five books on topics ranging from Martin Luther and feminism to practicing hope in the face of life-threatening illness, Thompson is dedicated to drawing on resources from Lutheran tradition as well as from contemporary insights that can enhance our understanding of what it means to practice faith, hope, and love for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors. Before moving to St. Olaf to direct the Lutheran Center in 2019, Thompson was Chair and Professor of Religion at Hamline University, where she taught for over 20 years. When she’s not writing, speaking or teaching, Thompson can be found hiking in a national park with her husband and two adult children.    

This retreat takes place at Spirit in the Desert in Carefree, Arizona. Lodging, meals, and discussions will all be held on the comfortable campus about 35 miles north of Phoenix. In addition to meeting, dining, and sleeping facilities, the center also features a worship space, meditation labyrinth, reflective walking path, fountains, the striking desert landscape, heated pool and spa, 24-hour coffee, tea, water, ice, laundry access, and Wi-Fi access throughout the site.

Inclusions and exclusions vary by tour. Please read the following information carefully. The tour price is $1,406 per person for single or double occupancy. There are a limited number of single occupancy spaces. You may also register without a roommate if you are willing to be paired with a same-sex participant.

Inclusions: discussions guided by Deanna Thompson, assistance on-site by Megan Nelson, three nights’ accommodations at Spirit in the Desert, all meals from dinner on Sunday, March 16 through lunch on Wednesday, March 19.

Exclusions: Transportation to and from Spirit in the Desert is not included. Participants are solely responsible for all expenses not specifically included in the program fee. Examples of excluded expenses are: transportation to and from Spirit in the Desert, baggage insurance, travel insurance, gratuities, laundry, dry cleaning, phone charges, room service, or other items of a personal nature, expenses incurred during free time or non-group activities, meals other than those listed above, and items not specifically listed above as included.

This schedule is based on payments St. Olaf College must make to tour vendors to guarantee group rates. We highly recommend that you purchase additional trip cancellation insurance at the time of registration to recover your payments should you need to withdraw from the tour.

Deposit due:                          $500 upon registration
Refund if you cancel:          $350 until July 31, 2024. If the deposit is made after July 31, 2024 there is no refund.

Interim payment due:        $1,000 on August 1, 2024
Refund if you cancel:          $450 if you cancel before November 30, 2024

Balance due:                         December 1, 2024
Refund if you cancel:          None, unless the tour is full and your place can be resold

Cancellations must be in writing.

Read the Release & Waiver and Terms & Conditions.

Take time to Prepare for your adventure by checking out a variety of resources, including frequently asked questions, general health information, safety overview, and more.

Hold the dates of March 16–19, 2025 (and March 12–16, 2025 for Phoenix, if you can also join us there), but do not book non-refundable flights (if that’s how you decide to get to Phoenix, the closest airport to the town of Carefree) until we can announce the tour is a go. Meanwhile, see our Booking Your Flights page for notes and tips.