Ampleforth Abbey
Ampleforth, Yorkshire
Founded in 1802, Ampleforth Abbey is home to the largest Benedictine community in the UK, who run a seasonal retreat programme throughout the year, providing a variety of opportunities for spiritual nourishment in the beautiful stillness of Ampleforth. For 2022, familiar favourites return such as Fr Bede’s Beach Prayer Walks, and Fr Wulstan’s Introduction to Benedictine Spirituality, while new themes are explored in Anji Dowson’s Women of the Kingdom, a new series from Abbot Robert Igo, and much more.
Students and university groups are particularly welcome at Ampleforth, with a number of organised retreats catering to their needs. This year, Fr Kevin will be leading a Monastic Experience retreat, inviting 18–35-year-olds to take some time to renew and re-engage with life. For university groups and societies, a safe, welcoming space can be found, allowing for connection and community, with Durham, Leeds and York among many participating universities.
Independent retreat guests are also welcome, with rooms available in their three guesthouses (The Archway, The Guesthouse, and newly renovated The Grange) and flexible pricing and meal options to suit everyone. Guests are invited to make their stay their own, with the option to join the community in prayer, eat with other retreatants, and experience meditative walks through the valley.
Enquiries and bookings can be made by contacting the team at [email protected] or by calling 01439 766087.
Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer
Argyll, Scotland
Originally a hunting lodge, Craig Lodge became a family house of prayer after its owners, the MacFarlane-Barrow family, encountered Our Lady in the small village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. “This family pilgrimage changed everything,” say Calum and Mary-Anne MacFarlane-Barrow. “Craig Lodge became a house of prayer. Everything that we do at Craig Lodge is in honour of Mary, the Queen of Peace.”
Craig Lodge specialises in providing retreats for families and young people. They invite “pilgrims” or retreatants to join them in prayer: the Rosary, Divine Office, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Praise and Worship and the Way of the Cross. Guests can either “make their own retreat”, or join for a particular retreat event.
The grounds, which are in the heart of Glen Orchy, are surrounded by hills and mountains, with a selection of rooms, both indoor and outdoor, in which to discover God’s presence. The extensive grounds include the “Mary’s Meals” shed where the famous homelessness charity was founded. Guests are encouraged to fast with the family on Wednesdays and Fridays.
craiglodge.org
Douai Abbey
Nr Thatcham, Berkshire
The Benedictine Douai Abbey has been based near Thatcham in rural Berkshire since 1903, when the monks came over from the monastery of St Edmund’s, in Douai, Flanders, driven away as a result of anti-clerical legislation. Today the abbey has a very busy programme of retreats, workshops, courses and day-schools which offer the opportunity for spiritual and personal development. The focus is generally on spirituality, theology, scripture, history and ministry, and guests are welcome all year round.
Music is a huge part of life at the abbey and plays a part in the retreat experience. “Soul Journey with JS Bach for Easter” and “Holy is the True light – exploring the holy in British music” are two examples of retreats directly inspired by the monks’ love and knowledge of music. Other retreats on offer include the “Monastic Experience Weekend” which is aimed at men aged 18-40, and particularly but not exclusively those considering a vocation. Day reflections cost £25 per person, while weekend retreats are £160 per person.
douaiabbey.org.uk
Dowry House
Walsingham, Norfolk
Dowry House is a historical building full of character. Dating back to pre-Reformation days, it is low-ceilinged and “higgledy piggledy” in nature, which “makes it a joy for the adventurous and the collection of nooks and crannies are a delight to those who like surprises,” says the website, which also says that the building boasts “a beautiful chapel, cosy sitting rooms, Marian library, a peaceful cloister garden and very comfortable beds!”.
In the heart of Walsingham, the house is located just a mile from the national shrine and basilica of Our Lady. “We see her as our model and we want to help other people to grow in that freedom and joy,” says Sister Theresa, a former nurse who runs retreats at the Dowry House along with her fellow sisters.
The sisters especially encourage those who are going through difficult periods in their lives or periods of transition to come and make use of the space and quiet with the aim of finding some clarity.
The sisters run a range of retreats, including youth retreats and silent retreats throughout the pilgrim season from March to December. Popular retreats are on the topic of “emotions and discernment”, or “how do you make sense of your feelings”, explains Sister Theresa, and “on the fullness of love” which is an opportunity for married or single people, nuns or priests to talk about “how to grow in emotional maturity”.
dowryhouse.org.uk
Iona House of Prayer
Iona, Scotland
The Catholic House of Prayer, Iona, also known as Cnoc a’ Chalmain, which means “Hill of the dove” in Gaelic, is the only place on the island where Mass is celebrated regularly. It was officially opened in 1997 by Archbishop Keith O’Brien on the 1400th anniversary of St Columba’s death on Iona.
Cnoc a’ Chalmain welcomes people of all faiths and none to provide a peaceful place of prayer for pilgrims in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the most beautiful and serene location.
Accommodation includes a choice of single and double rooms, with bed, breakfast and supper costing £75 per person per day. Bed and breakfast only is available at £50 per person per day. It takes about two and a half hours to reach Iona from Oban, travelling by ferry to Mull, then by road across Mull to the Iona ferry at Fionnphort.catholic-iona.com
Society of the Sacred Heart
Brecon, Mid-Wales
Meaning “beautiful, holy glade”, Llannerchwen in the Brecon Beacons was originally a farm-holding which first became a place of silence and prayer in the 1960s when it was bought by a Reverend Shapland and his wife. The couple built two alpine cottages and converted a cowshed into a small chapel before retiring in 1979.
Members of the Society of the Sacred Heart have been at Llannerchwen ever since, having moved there after Joan Scott, one of the sisters, had a two-year experience living as a hermit, which led her to recognise “the need for a place where people from all walks of life could have the opportunity for a time of solitude and silence, receiving spiritual accompaniment if desired”.
Retreats can be booked online and accommodation comprises several individual cabins as well as other retreat rooms adapted so each guest has their own self-contained space.
llannerchwen.org.uk/home
St Beuno’s
Denbighshire, North Wales
St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre is the Jesuits in Britain’s retreat centre, located in rural Wales, with views of the Vale of Clwyd and Snowdonia. The building was originally St Beuno’s College, built in 1848 as a place for Jesuits to study theology when Stonyhurst College, the original Jesuit college, ran out of capacity.
The centre offers a huge number of different retreats and courses and attracts guests from all over the world. Among retreats on offer are individually guided retreats which last for between two and eight days, as well as themed retreats such as “Finding God in the Garden” and “Finding God in Yoga”. They also run beginner and budget retreats.
pathwaystogod.org/org/st-beunos
St Mary’s Monastery, Kinnoull
Perth, Scotland
St Mary’s Monastery, Kinnoull, Perth is home to the Redemptorists of Scotland, and functions as a community, ecumenical retreat house and Centre of Spirituality, offering a full programme of courses and retreats all year round.
The impressive neo-gothic building, which has views of the Grampian mountains, opened in 1869, when the Redemptorists first came to Scotland. The church was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It was the first Catholic monastery to be built since the Reformation and was from the beginning used extensively by the Scottish bishops for their clergy retreats.
St Mary’s is still very much devoted to the tradition of offering retreats and has been refurbished recently; it can now take up to 36 residential guests and 50 day guests at a time. They run a popular Holy Week retreat each year, which starts on the Monday of Holy Week and ends on the morning of Holy Saturday, at the price of £425 per person, as well as a Lenten retreat and others.
kinnoullmonastery.co.uk/retreats
The Friars, Aylesford Priory
Maidstone, Kent
Set in the heart of Kent, The Friars at Aylesford Priory is an ancient religious house of the Order of Carmelites dating back to the 13th century. Large groups come on pilgrimage from May to October to pray at the historic Shrine to Our Lady, which has been a traditional pilgrimage spot for travellers since medieval times. It is called The Friars because it originally offered hospitality and accommodation for travellers to Canterbury.
They host various retreats including a “grief and loss” weekend for people who have experienced a bereavement. “We grieve, remember, hope and give thanks for our loved ones in the light of the Resurrection Jesus,” they say. Other retreats include Easter and Advent retreats, the “Our Lady of Mount Carmel” retreat, which is a two-day reflection on Mary in the Carmelite tradition through scripture and art, and the “Little Flower” retreat, which is a reflection of the love and mercy of God through the writings of St Thérèse. The average cost is £205 for a single ticket. Pilgrimages, parish days and all-night vigils are also a regular feature of life at The Friars.
thefriars.org.uk
Worth Abbey Retreat Centre
Worth, West Sussex
The Worth Abbey Retreat Centre (formerly The Open Cloister) offers a programme of weekend and midweek retreats, all distinctly Benedictine in flavour, open to both men and women and people of all faiths and none.
Retreats include the “Time Out” retreat which is self-led, the “Easter Triduum”, as well as a “Finding Stillness” retreat, which shows participants “how stillness and stability can be ways of opening up to God and living life at a deeper level”. This retreat includes teachings in lectio divina as well as an opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with a monk. Otherwise, retreatants take up the rhythm of the monastic day, join the monks for prayer and explore the 500-acre grounds at their will. A new addition to the programme is the Tai Chi and Christian meditation retreat, which makes a comeback having last been run at the abbey 20 years ago.
Father Peter Williams, who runs the programme, has been a monk at Worth Abbey for 27 years, 20 of which were spent being the chaplain at Worth School. Retreats cost around £90 per night, usually lasting two nights, although guests of the “Time Out” retreats can stay for up to five days.
worthabbey.net/visiting/retreats
More recommended retreat centres in the UK
Belmont Abbey, Herefordshire
Buckfast Abbey, Devon
Christian Heritage Centre, Stonyhurst, Clitheroe
Urban Oasis, Sisters of St Andrew, Blackheath, London
The Kairos Centre, Roehampton
Minsteracres Retreat Centre, Northumberland
Minster Abbey, Kent
Walsingham House Abbotswick, Brentwood
Boarbank Hall, Cumbria
The Briery Retreat Centre, Yorkshire
Centre for Applied Carmelite Spirituality, Oxford
St Augustine’s Benedictine Abbey, Chilworth
St Joseph’s Prayer Centre, Liverpool
St Winefride’s Guest House, Holywell, Norfolk
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