I had a wonderful retreat. My daughter and I have doing this for quite a few years. There is no talking in the abbey. There are mostly private rooms with private bathrooms. Simple, but I must say I always feel quite indulged by the privacy and personal space. Moms of large families just don't get that.
It is a Trappist monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemane.
There is an optional talk in the morning by the guestmaster. You are invited, but not required, to join the monks in the singing of the psalms seven times a day. There is the option of an evening rosary in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, led by one of the monks. And, of course, we may join the monks in daily Mass. And on Saturday there are several hours of opportunity for Confession.
The time is all yours. You can sleep, read, pray, hike their many, many acres of rolling hills and woods. (You can talk in the woods.)
The first time I went I thought the silence might drive me nuts. It didn't. It was like having a very personal, very private time with Jesus. Plenty of time to think, to contemplate, to cry, to just be alone with the Lord. And a number of women from our parish go at the same time so if you REALLY need to talk, chat, giggle, etc. There's nearly always someone you can find to go on a walk with you. And you can also talk in the lobby.
When my daughter loads her digital pictures on this computer I will show you some pictures.
These silent retreats are really wonderful. I very much recommend them, especially to busy mothers......
7 comments:
That certainly DOES sound heavenly. I'm glad you were blessed & refreshed by the experience.
Rosemary,
Did you happen to meet anyone by the name "Brother Gabriel?"
He is a dear friend from my parish who just entered, oh I guess it has been a couple of years ago now.
You had to travel a way to get there, didn't you? It is not far from where I live...not too far.
I have not been there yet. Father Don (our parish associate pastor) went about 6 months ago now. He said it is very nice. Brother Gabriel would probably be one of the younger men, although he is grey. He is very tall and built big, but not what I call fat...he is a nice looking man and has a beard. I say he is younger because Father Don said they were all getting pretty old, referring to most of the others besides Brother Gabriel. Brother G would probably be in his late 50's.
Well, I am so happy you had a beautiful weekend!
What a wonderful retreat this sounds to have been for you. I look forward to seeing the pictures as and when they arrive on the blog.
God Bless you!
It sounds lovely, my friend! Thanks be to God.
Sounds so heavenly Rosemary!
Thank you all. Suzanne, Brother Gabriel sounds familiar but I did not meet him.
It's a 6-7 hour drive for us.
Deb, Yes, I really want to get the pictures us too...
I look forward to seeing some of the pictures! The trip sounds like quite a blessing!
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