Retreating
I got back from my retreat around noon today, and I spent the afternoon unpacking and talking to my parents all about it. 
So here’s my report:
It was fantastic. If you’ve never made a retreat, do it the next time you get a chance. They are awesome. Mine was a silent retreat put on by the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women at St. Therese’s retreat center here in Columbus. Our diocese is really big–it stretches north into Amish county, south to the Ohio river, and east to Zanesville/Cambridge, about 1 1/2 hours from the West Virginia border. So we had women from all over, which was great. I was, by far, the youngest, but I didn’t mind. I’m used to it by now (youngest in my church choir (I think), one of the youngest on parish council, with the exception of the h.s. rep…).
Silence didn’t start immediately; we had a welcome by the DCCW president and the retreat director/planner, Nancy Jo. After that we had dinner in the dining hall (just like the one in the film Trouble With Angels, where the nuns eat), which was fish, baked potato and carrots, and salad and dessert. The food was great; simple, but so yummy. And fresh-baked rolls….mmmm. 
After dinner, silence began (although it could be broken when you went outside, or it you went to the Blue Lounge to talk to someone), and we had our first “conference” with Fr. Bertrand, the retreat director from St. Thomas in Zanesville. There were five of these altogether, and each one was full of practical advice and insight. He even got into theology with us, saying that this was th ekind of stuff the laity needed to hear. He is so right. If you are a member of his parish, you are very lucky!
The first night also has Mass in their chapel (gorgeous, with stained glass, a St. Therese reliquary, stations of the cross, and a beautiful ad orientem altar with the tabernacle prominently displayed) and evening prayer. Most of us went to bed after that, because our wake-up call for the next two days was at 7:30. Yup, that’s what time this night owl got up. Voluntarily. It was crazy. Our rooms were nice–simple, but very comfortable. I was in the “new” section, with most of the others, and I had a full-size bed, a desk, chair, lamps, and a sink with linens and a mirror. I was also fortunate enough to be right across from the bathroom. I was getting very strong dorm memories as I found my room, let me tell you. But it was nicer (and cleaner!) than that.
Saturday was full, but still had plenty of time for reflection. The day began with morning prayer in the chapel, then breakfast (homemade English muffins!!), followed by the morning conference and rosary. We had some time to explore the grounds on our own (they are large, and it was a gorgeous weekend, about 73 degrees…perfect) and visit the Cathedral Book Shop location that is there, where I found, for the first time ever, a St. Emily medal (which of course I had to buy). I read about her once in an ancient saint book; I think she was a Roman virgin/ martyr, and her feast day is sometime in September. But I’ve never seen any sacramentals, medals, etc. for her, so this excited me greatly.
We had Mass around 11:30, then lunch, and then two hours on our own. That was fantastic. I had bought The Medjugorje Prayer Book by Wayne Weibel, and took that, my Bible, my rosary and my program for the weekend out into the grounds. I spent some time in the Lourdes grotto, the duck pond, the stations of the cross, and some other places, wandering about as I said my prayers and admiring the animals and the flowers…so many violets and tulips, and huge lilac bushes. Mmmm they smelled great! This was one of the best parts of the whole weekend, just being able to have time to pray, reflect and think about what God wants of me and where He wants me to go. It’s nice to have that time.
At 3:00 we had Divine Mercy Chaplet, another Conference, and then free time until Stations at 4:45, which was followed by dinner. Meals in silence was actually quite nice, although you had to be very vigilant about other people’s facial expressions and gestures, since you couldn’t say “pass me the butter” or whatever.
That evening we broke silence for a bit and had a social, which was fun, since with 30 women there were a lot of people to talk to! We also had benediction and Adoration all night, starting at 8:00. I had the 9:00 shift, and this was a great time of reflection, praying the rosary, and writing down any impressions I had in my journal. I think I wrote 20 pages over the weekend.
Another nice aspect of the retreat was the assigning of “prayer partners.” Each woman’s name was written on a piece of paper and we drew one at the introduction. We were to pray for that person and her intentions throughout the retreat, and beyond, if we wished. I will certainly continue praying for my person, who I think is from St. Thomas. But I forget now. I loved the idea that someone else was praying especially for you.
This morning I missed the bell and got up at 8, missing morning prayer. But the nice thing about this retreat was that it was individual; everything was optional. All of us came to Mass, and most to the morning and evening prayers, but you didn’t have to. You could’ve, I suppose, slept and gone just to the meals! We had our last conference and then Mass, with adjournment after that.
I was anxious to leave by then, but not because I was bored. I wanted to go home and start living what I had learned. One of the things Fr. Bertrand emphasized was that “we need to know where we’re heading so we know what to take.” If Heaven is our goal, then we need: prayer, Mass, the sacraments, and other things. We need to make Prayer a priority because it gives us everything we need. And I’ll admit, lately things have been slipping in this department. It’s so easy to say “I just don’t have time.” Well, like Fr. B said, “You have to make time.” So I am working to “make time.” I know that in Opus Dei it is important to develop a “plan of Life.” I will begin working on that, on finding the balance between work and prayer, and other life obligations.
It can seem so overwhelming, can’t it? I have to work, I have to exercise, I have to cook/clean, I have to practice my music, I have to read my books and study, I have to learn Latin at some point!, I have to plan vacation, etc., etc., etc. I have to get gas and go grocery shopping! Where is the time for prayer? We need it so we can refresh ourselves and receive the grace we need to do God’s will. We can’t get it unless we pray!
So I am going to try to continue to experience the fruits of the retreat. It may be awhile before I can truly discern everything I got out of it. But it was a wonderful experience and I can’t wait for my parish’s women’s retreat in the fall. I will definitely be there.
FYI:
