St Beuno's Ignatian Spirituality Centre North Wales

What are Retreats About?

Capel y Coed

Alone with God
A retreat is principally a time for you to be alone with God. That is not to say we expect you to be kneeling all day in a chapel.

Fresh air and exercise
Many people who come on retreat at St Beuno's take advantage of the beautiful countryside and the safe walking area to breathe fresh air and to exercise. If you are not too mobile you might like to spend time sitting or strolling round the garden.

Creative Imagination
Often Scripture will be used as a lead in to prayer, reading, imagining or pondering. But you might find that the use of art materials, or a courntry walk will also be a great stimulus to prayer.

Away from noise and bustle
A retreat is a time for leaving behind much of what normally fills our time: television, work, computers, telephones, commuting, preparing meals, chatting etc. and having time to reflect, to ponder, to pray, to be.

Daily Guidance
There is a daily personal meeting with a retreat guide to reflect on each day.
The retreat guide is there primarily to be a listener and companion on the journey. Guides are there to help you discern how God is working in your life. Confidentiality is part of the code of each guide who is there to support your and certainly not to judge you.
The guide usually offers guidelines and resources.

The Spiritual Exercises
All retreats given at St Beuno's follow the inspiration of Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises drawing on some of the approaches and ways of reflection they suggest.

A time of Silence
These retreats are conducted in a prayerful silence both during the day and at mealtimes when some quiet music helps to foster a reflective atmosphere.

Daily Eucharist
There is an optional daily Eucharist to which all retreatants are welcome to attend.

All retreats, with the exception of weekends, begin with the evening meal on the first day and end after breakfast on the last day.
(The first and last meal are usually not in silence!)

If you feel, like many others, that you need time away to pray, sort out your thoughts, get away from the demands of work and home, then you need a retreat.
If you go on holiday you can forget your worries for a week or two, if you go on retreat you may well be able to put your worries in perspective and, who knows, perhaps sort them out, with the help of God.

There is no fixed programme of meditations or prayer, how you arrange your day depends upon you. The guide will consider with you how best to spend your time on retreat.

Inspired by the Spiritual Exercises
All retreats given at St Beuno's follow the inspiration of Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises drawing on some of the approaches and ways of reflection they suggest.
Options
Apart from the daily meeting with the guide, the optional daily Eucharist, there will be the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession).

If you would like a retreat within the next month, then please contact the Director

giving the dates you require. This is only for the shorter retreats as the 30 day retreat requires a formal application process.

If you feel you need a break and perhaps some prayer and someone to bounce thoughts off, then you may well find a weekend or midweek retreat is suitable for you.
Midweek retreats are particularly suited to busy clergy who find getting a Sunday off difficult.
Both weekends and midweek retreats are great 'tasters' if you are wondering whether a longer retreat is for you.St Beuno's Quiet Weekends are an introduction to a short silent retreat with an individual prayer guide. There will normally be some guideline sessions, for those who wish, about ways of praying and finding space for reflection in a busy life. There are usually three individual meetings with the retreat guide on the weekends.

Above all these will be restful and deepening days for all participants.

Weekends begin with the evening meal at around 6.30pm on Friday and end in the afternoon of Sunday. You can plan on getting away by 4pm at the latest.