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Holy Cross Abbey

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Sixteen Men to Immerse in Monastic Life

August 22, 2014 by Kurt

Thursday will see a diverse group of sixteen men come to the Abbey for our fifth Monastic Immersion Weekend.  MIWs offer men and women an opportunity to live in community-both the community of those attending the retreat and the monastic community-while providing ample time for silence, solitude and prayer.

Retreat can be structured in many different ways.  Some are completely silent, like most of those taken in our Retreat House.  Some are semi-active, like the Monastic Immersion Weekend, as you can see from the schedule posted below.  And some retreats are very active, providing sessions a couple of times a day, programs for study and activity.  We don’t do those here at the Abbey but know our Benedictine brothers and sisters in other monasteries do to great success.

What actually is the benefit to taking retreat?  There is the obvious-you get away from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life.  But in the case of the semi-active and active retreats there is an opportunity to build community within community.  Our MIW participants seem to always mention in their evaluation how important it was to get to know the other people they met during the four days together.

What makes that happen?  I believe it is because people on retreat are searching for something.  And we often find that ‘something’ in the activity of the monastery, the programs perhaps, the Office and mass…

But we also find it in other people.  God rests in each of us.    The Kingdom of God is Within Us, Jesus said.  And on retreat we have the perfect venue to explore God within us and in the hearts and minds of the other people with us.

We encourage you to explore opportunities for retreat, with us or anywhere that you believe you will be given the chance to find God.  You won’t be disappointed.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

MONASTIC IMMERSION WEEKEND MASTER SCHEDULE

September 11-14

Thursday September 11

3:30-5pm                           Check in and Room Assigned

5:30pm                               Vespers

6:30pm                               Dinner in silence

7:30pm                               Complineand presentation of crosses by Prior Efrain (high altar)

8:00pm                               Q&A with Father Joseph and orientation

                                              Great Silence and bed!  (3 am comes quickly)

Friday September 12

3am                                    Bell rings in Retreat House

3:30am                               Vigils

4:15am                              Half Hour Silent Prayer -Silence Ends

4:50am                               Choir Practice

7am                                    Lauds/Mass

8:15am                               Breakfast in silence with reading

9am                                    Conference #1- “Work as prayer.” Fr. James Orthmann

                                           Complete Silence begins until after breakfast Saturday

2pm                                    Mid-day prayer

5:30pm                               Vespers

6:15pm                               Dinner

7:30pm                               Compline

8:15pm                               Great Silence begins/continues

Saturday September 13

3am                                    Bell rings in Retreat House

3:30 am                              Vigils

4:15 am                              Half Hour Silent Prayer

7 am                                   Lauds and Mass

7:45 am                              Breakfast in silence

8:30 am                              Conference #2- “Contemplative Life Today” Sr. Kathy

12noon                               Lunch in silence with reading )

2pm                                    Mid-day prayer

2:15 pm                              Conference #3- “Vocations aren’t just for monks”  Br. Efrain  

5:30pm                               Vespers

6:15pm                               Dinner with conversation

7:30pm                               Compline

                                           Great Silence begins

Sunday September 14

3am                                    Bell rings in Retreat House

3:30am                               Vigils

7am                                    Lauds

                                           Breakfast in silence on your own

11am                                  Mass

12:20pm                             Mid-day prayer

12:40pm                             Lunch/wrap up and departure

 

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Phone: (540) 955-4383

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