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Making a Retreat

And he said to them, ‘Come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that there was no time for them even to eat. So, they went off in the boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. (Mark 6:31)

A retreat can be an opportunity to get away from the stress and anxiety of daily life and spend time praying, reflecting, and deepening one’s relationship with God. It can also be a time for renewal, as when Jesus takes the disciples away to spend some quality time with them, just Him and them together. But a retreat may also be a following of Jesus into the desert, when He was led there by the Spirit away from all distractions, with the specific focus of discernment of His Father’s will (Matthew 4:1 & Luke 4:1).

Retreats can take on many forms from:

Private retreats (1:1 between the director and the person)

Group retreats (many participants on the same retreat e.g. Parish)

Silent Retreats

Preached retreats (Themed talks by the director)

Individually guided retreats – the person meets with the director once a day (this can happen within the setting of both a Private or a Group retreat experience)

Days of Recollection

Open Door Retreats

Retreats in Daily Life (Weeks of Guided Prayer)

The retreat may have a program or a theme, with talks or relevant Scripture passages for reflection and meditation. The length of a retreat can also vary, from half a day, weekends, a week or even up to 30 days (for the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius).

Retreats can take place in a parish setting or at a retreat centre.