2012

From Friday evening until after Lunch on Sunday.

Cost for each weekend in 2012:

Per person, single room £174 (£122); shared room £150 (£106) unless otherwise indicated.
[The figure in brackets is the concessionary rate - see HERE for details]

To book a place on any of these events, download a booking form from HERE.

(arranged principally by date)

Finding Silence - weekends for viewers of "The Big Silence"
Fr Roderick Jones OSB and the monastic team
2012 February 3rd – 5th
2012 June 29th – July 1st
2012 October 12th – 14th

Weekend retreats for those who have seen the TV series "The Big Silence" (Broadcast 2010 October 22nd, 29th and November 5th) and who would like to experience something of monastic silence. These retreats will provide an opportunity to reflect on our relationship with God and to explore in a peaceful and beautiful environment the gift of silence and stillness as the "gateway to the soul". They include a gentle trial of silence for half the weekend and are structured around the pattern of monastic prayer.

Finding Sanctuary - Responding to BBC's 'The Monastery'
The Monastic Team
2012 March 16th – 18th
2012 September 28th – 30th

These weekends will explore what we understand by ‘sanctuary’ and help participants to create sanctuary in their daily lives. There will be an emphasis on learning to pray and using personal time creatively. It will be structured around the pattern of monastic prayer. This is reserved for those who have not been on such a retreat before.

Silent Retreat (Palm & Passion)
Fr Patrick Fludder OSB
2012 March 30th - April 1st

A weekend retreat including Palm Sunday, to help prepare for Holy Week. It will be structured around the monastic liturgy with the majority of the time for silent personal reflection, reading and prayer. There will be some optional meditations on the passion of Christ. This is not suitable for those coming on retreat for the first time.

Silent Retreat: Individually Guided Prayer (IGR)
(3 days, Friday to Monday)
Fr Patrick Fludder and Team
2012 May 4th – 7th
2012 August 24th – 27th

A silent retreat over a long weekend involving prayer with scripture and opportunities to reflect each day, one to one, with an experienced prayer guide (trained lay Christians). The retreats are structured around the monastic prayer and liturgy.
Per person, single room £261 (£183)

Managing Conflict in our Relationships: The Benedictine Way
Fodhla McGrane Phd and a member of the Monastic Team
2012 May 25th – 27th

Spend quality time looking at the friction we often experience with others (at work, at home, in the community, and at church). We’ll discuss our typical reactions to conflict, and equip ourselves with effective alternatives for preventing conflict or for helping us and others to get through it. Our sessions will be based on the Bible and the Rule of St Benedict. The weekend course will also provide time and space for personal prayer and reflection.
Fodhla is an Oblate of St Benedict, has a PhD and works as a teacher and trainer in interpersonal communication skills.
Per person, single room £230 (£160); shared room £205 (£145).
If you cannot make this date, Fodhla McGrane is running similar events at Douai Abbey, located in Berkshire. http://www.douaiabbey.org.uk/ppcal1.htm
2012 Oct 28th - 30th Loneliness
2012 June 15th - 17th Forgivness

Time to listen, Space to Grow
Jo Eaton and Mary Watson
2012 July 6th – 8th

A residential retreat for those wanting to explore their own spiritual journey in a contemplative environment, leading to a deeper awareness of God, self and others. It is based on the highly popular Personal and Spiritual Growth (PSG) evening course. We offer a weekend of praying and sharing in different ways. Topics to include: Listening, Praying/Dialogue and Human Being/Spiritual Being. This is not a ‘how to’ course. Using different experiences of ‘prayer’ (in its broadest sense), silence and a ‘creative listening’ method, each person is encouraged to ponder his/her spiritual journey in small, facilitated groups.
Please note: We would encourage anyone who has completed the PSG Course or a Time & Space Weekend (like this one) and would like to develop the themes, to come to the PSG Follow on weekend (see below, Aug. 31st - Sep. 2nd) or individual Follow-on Saturdays.

Outreach Peru Retreat
‘Truth Sets Free’
Fr Bede Hill and Fr Paul Fleetwood
2012 July 27th – 29th

A brief look at the Poor in Peru, Outreach Peru’s work there, and the kind of support for them that Christian belief requires of us. Use will be made of Pope Benedict’s Encyclical Letter: ‘Charity in Truth’ and St Pauls’ Letter to the Galatians. This retreat would be of interest to anyone concerned with the Church’s work for justice and peace in Latin America

PSG Follow-on Weekend
Mary Watson, Jo Eaton, and others
2012 August 31st - September 2nd (in Compass House)

This weekend and the individual Follow-on Saturdays are for those who have completed the PSG Course or the Time to Listen & Space to Grow Weekend (above) and are familiar with the process. We will be deepening some themes and introducing new ones using the same familiar format. Each Saturday will stand alone but could be used with or without this PSG Follow–on weekend as a series.
Please note: We would encourage anyone who is not familiar with the process used in the PSG Course or the Time & Space Weekend (see above, July 6 - 8) to come to the Time to Listen, Space to Grow Weekend or a Personal & Spiritual Growth Course Taster Evening.

Quote from 2010:
“I came feeling rather frazzled and found God waiting for me and speaking to me clearly. As I leave I know I do so with God beside me. I knew this before but now I know it in a new way.”

Leadership & Spirituality Retreat:
Dr. Stephen G. Payne, Keith Newton and Liz Hughes
2012 September 21st – 23rd

Does a leader’s spirituality have anything to do with achieving success in his or her leadership role? Can time spent in the monastic setting deliver leadership insights that are transferable to the workplace? This retreat is for people who are involved in organisations in business, the public sector, and elsewhere, and who will enjoy reflecting how their spirituality impacts their leadership role. There will be a number of optional group sessions, using materials related to the topic, and time for quiet reflection and sharing, all set within the context of the daily monastic rhythm. Participants will discover and share fresh insights into how to increase their effectiveness as leaders.
Dr. Payne practices leadership strategy and executive coaching in Princeton, N.J. A former CEO himself, he challenges leaders to stay more accountable to God throughout their entire career. He is the author of First Rule of Leadership: Achieve Far More by Leading Your Self BEFORE You Lead Others and the founder of A New Equilibrium, an organisation that exists to energise and empower spiritually intentional business leaders to fully engage their beliefs in the workplace..
Per person, single room £340

Wisdom of the Desert
Michael Woodward *
2012 November 30th – 2nd December

Our deserts can bloom! The monastic desert tradition can seem long ago and far away, but contains a wisdom that can both challenge and bring healing to our fragmented society and distracted lives. The goal of the desert fathers, and the less well-known mothers, was continuous prayer. The abbas and the ammas spent their time in lectio divina, reciting the psalms and the breviary, and cultivating the prayer of the heart. We will look at the main features of desert spirituality and seek to slow down, be quiet, listen for the voice of God, and reflect upon how to sustain such a spirituality in our daily lives.

2013

The dates for our 2013 programme will be published here. Please indicate your interest to the Bookings Secretary (HERE) and we will make sure you are sent the details as they become available.

Other events may be arranged and will be published here. If you are interested in holding your own group retreat here using our facilities, you need to apply (to the Bookings Secretary) by May 2012 to be sure of our availablility throughout 2013. However, there is less presure on weekdays than weekends so you may be able to book closer to your desired date.