Silent Retreat
Do you need to take a time out to detach yourself from the world or do you need a place to find rest?
A weekend to step away with God into the silence before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is here. Allow yourself to detach from the your normal life routines and rituals as you willingly submit to the gift of the silence, contemplation and reflection of this retreat.
This is a retreat for those who desire an abbreviated silent retreat experience or those who would like to try a silent retreat for the first time in a shortened version. Trained spiritual directors will be available.
Dates of Retreat
Nov 22 -24, 2024
Retreat Leader
Name, Second Name
Cost of the retreat
$320
Is This Retreat For Me?
WHAT IS A SILENT DIRECTED RETREAT?
A silent retreat takes place in complete silence, as the name suggests. When Jesus sent his disciples out, he told them to take nothing with them for the journey for he knew there was nothing they would need except to be open to the Spirit. The same is true for a silent retreat. During this time, you allow yourself to detach from your normal life routines and rituals and willingly submit to the silence of the retreat. This means you will intentionally let go of communications and connections (no emails, texts or phone calls) for the duration of the retreat in order to be in and experience the silence. In doing so, you commit that you will enter the silence completely and not engage with the “outside world”; rather, you will focus on what the silence brings you and what you notice happening with and to you in it.
HOW DOES THIS RETREAT WORK?
Retreatants will arrive on Friday and check in starting at 3pm. After settling into your room, dinner will be at 6pm in the main dining room. This will be the only meal during the retreat where we will not observe silence. After dinner, retreatants will attend an orientation meeting about the retreat. In this meeting, we will discuss the retreat schedule, what to expect during the retreat, discuss silence during meals and the availability of spiritual direction for retreatants. After orientation, you will enter the silence until the conclusion of the retreat on Sunday.
WHAT DO I DO DURING A SILENT RETREAT?
One of the most important points of making a silent retreat is to accept the invitation to move away from the culture of “doing”. In a retreat time, you may suddenly notice how tired you are, so you may engage in things like resting, listening, watching, simply being still in body and spirit or enjoying the outdoors, sitting or walking in nature, visiting the outdoor chapel, walking the labyrinth, etc. We discourage you from bringing a book or books to read for the retreat. That is not experiencing the silence, which is the point of giving yourself this time.
WHAT ARE THE RETREATANTS COMMITMENTS?
The retreatant commits to enter and observe the silence, to let go of outside communication and to be open to how the movement of the Divine may occur during this sacred time of silence.
WHAT ABOUT SPIRITUAL DIRECTION?
During a silent retreat, the opportunity to meet with an experienced, trained spiritual director is often made available to retreatants. Spiritual direction is an ancient ministry in which one who is formed and experienced as a director accompanies another on their spiritual journey. The opportunity for spiritual direction will be available on Saturday. You will be able to meet with an experienced spiritual director and speak about what is moving with you, what you are noticing, or what questions may be surfacing as you experience the silence. The director will listen, may ask or pose questions, may make observations, etc. Spiritual direction is confidential and takes place in a safe setting.
To register for the retreat click here.