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KINDS
OF RETREATS
Conference Retreats are retreats in which a number of people are given talks by a retreat director to assist them in their individual reflection and prayer. It typically lasts three or four days, over a weekend or during midweek. They follow in general the themes of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. They are also called preached retreats since the conferences somewhat resemble preaching, or group retreats because the director speaks to a number of people at the same time rather than to individuals one at a time. Among those attending these conference retreats each weekend are often parish or family groups or members of some other association. They return annually at the same time each year, and we reserve rooms for them on their chosen weekend. But as a rule any man may take part in any men's retreat, any woman may take part in any women's retreat whether they belong to a particular group scheduled for that weekend or not. Besides the conferences, other forms of prayer or input may also available during a conference retreat like:
Retreatants may attend whichever of these exercises help, or may use their time profitably otherwise. Retreats are open to Christians of all denominations, and retreatants are free to attend or absent themselves from any of these offerings that agree with or differ from their own religious beliefs or practices.
Individually Directed Retreats
The full Spiritual Exercises take about thirty days or 9 months depending on how they are made. Ignatius had foreseen that while some people could put 30 days aside to make the full Exercises, even more needed to continue with their usual occupations and at the same time make these same Exercises at home dedicating to them 60 to 90 minutes a day over the course of 9 months or so in what is called The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life. Jesuits and many other religious who have made the full Exercises will pray each year an eight-day version of them. Our Internship program requires an annual five-day directed retreat. Obviously one does not cover the same ground in five as in 30 days or 9 months, but few people have the freedom to spend so much time in solid serious prayer, and few retreat houses have the facilities or directors to offer such an experience. Many will opt for a shorter version of five to eight days. At Manresa we set aside only three eight-day sessions during June, July, and August when visiting directors join us and the house is given over to directed retreats. There are special advantages to this arrangement, but retreatants are welcome to come at virtually anytime during the rest of the year for the period they seek to stay, provided that directors and rooms are available.
Retreat directors adapt the Exercises in different ways. Sometimes the adaptation is such that we may speak of Topical Retreats. These are retreats that complement Ignatian spirituality rather than explicate it, and some retreats are special in the sense that they address particular audiences, needs, times or themes. Among such retreats that will be offered in the coming this year are:
Perhaps among our topical retreats will be one that will help you. |
Ignatius
began to help people by guiding them one-on-one through the
meditations of The Spiritual Exercises. This tradition
of individually directed retreats was replaced for some time
by conference retreats, but as the Jesuits rediscovered their
roots after Vatican II, the practice of individually directed
retreats revived. On these retreats retreatants spend up to
four prayer periods a day in meditation, and then share their
prayer experience with their director. The retreat is adapted
to the experience of the retreatant during each day's prayer.