Guided Retreat in Norfolk

Preparation for Lent: Into the desert with Jesus.
February 26th – 28th 2020

Letton Hall, Shipdham, Norfolk IP25 7SA

The retreat is centred around the monastic rhythm of prayer including a lunchtime Eucharist. There will be the opportunity for a group session of reflection or lectio divina at the beginning and end of each day.

Accomodation, full board including all meals and led retreat, are included in ticket cost, £160 per person. More information, and booking forms, are available from www.guidedretreats.org.uk, or download a flyer here.

Mon 2^nd – Wed 4^th November 2020

The retreat will cost £205 per person (or £185 per person, sharing a room), which will include all your meals. To book, please complete and return the downloadable Booking Form, with your deposit, or contact the APR Administrator who will be able to help you.

Led by APR Chair, the Revd Barry Preece, the retreat is entitled ‘Late Musings’. Barry writes, ‘I am a reflective person by nature and this retreat will be an opportunity to share thoughts about aspects of faith and life which have become increasingly important to me.  With titles of talks that include “Good Enough”, “Such is the Mystery” and “Letting in the Light” you may already have an idea of what some of those things might be.

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A retreat on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne 2nd-4th March 2020

Led by Jane Franklin, Spiritual Director and Voyager with the Community of Aidan and Hilda, this retreat will give  an opportunity to explore the Feminine nature of God through Scripture and beyond, then respond in reflection and creative activities.

More details can be found by downloading the flyer here. It will cost £250, and can be booked by contacting opengate@aidanandhilda.org.uk.

The APR is currently preparing for its biennial diocesan Spirituality Advisers’ Conference, to be help at Launde Abbey from 27th-29th April 2020.

Entitled ‘LOST FOR WORDS’, it will include workshops and opportunities for discussion in regional groups, as well as welcoming speakers (including the poet Revd Malcolm Guite, Retreat Association Patron, Revd Graham Sparkes, and Revd Canon Andrew Walker) who will explore how poetry, music and art can stimulate and encourage prayer.

We are hoping that a representative (or two) from every diocese in the UK will be able to attend, and have already taken more than 40 bookings.

The AGM took place on Wednesday 30th October at the Red Hill Christian Centre, Snitterfield, Stratford upon Avon.

Led by the President, Bishop John Stroyan, and supported by 15 Trustees and other APR Members, it was a day full of fellowship, prayer, good conversation and even some business!  The 2019 AGM Minutes are now available to be downloaded, along with the Annual Report and Accounts 2019 (just click on these links).

The Archbishop of Canterbury invited Trustees of the APR to Lambeth recently, for a conversation about how to better promote retreats throughout the Church of England. It was a very positive meeting. Archbishop Justin spoke both of his enthusiasm for encouraging prayer, and of his support the work of the APR as we promote the benefits of both retreats and Quiet Days, and support the work of Retreat Houses across the country, and beyond. In particular, he emphasised the value to everyone in ministry of taking regular time out to nurture their own relationships with God, saying that, ‘Evangelism or witness can only be genuine when it comes from an overflow of the love of God’.

The APR website is expanding, with a range of new resources soon to be available – the first of these are already published under the tab, ‘Signposts for Spiritual Growth’. These ‘signposts’ direct readers to a wealth of top-quality pages across the internet, concerning all aspect of prayer, spiritual formation, and growth in faith.

The pages, ‘Encountering Spirituality’, will be a virtual library of documents exploring both traditional spiritualities, contemporary role models and ‘life moments and transitions’, and are due to be published soon. Later this year, we will also be publishing a ‘Marketing Tool-Kit for Retreat Centres/Houses’.

The APR autumn retreat, held at St. Columba’s House, Woking from 6-8 November, was a refreshing and prayerful event, attended by 16 people from across the UK. Lavishly illustrating his words with a range of colourful and engaging icons, Bishop John invited participants into a deeper and more intimate relationship with God.  He also drew inspiration from writers as diverse as St Augustine and the Desert Fathers, St Thérèse of Liseaux, C.S. Lewis and Jean Vanier.

The retreat was punctuated with meditative and prayerful services in the spacious chapel at St Columba’s, and both the food and accommodation at St Columba’s were excellent. Even the vibrant autumn colours of the trees in and around the grounds contributed to what was a really meaningful and profound experience.

A full review of the Retreat, Take off your Shoes - A Review, can be found by clicking here.

It was a most enjoyable AGM at Holland House (Worcs) last month. APR President, Bishop John Stroyan, celebrated the Eucharist for member and Trustees in the beautiful chapel, and he also chaired the meeting.

There is much to look forward to with the APR in coming months, from the Conference for Diocesan Spiritual Advisers in April, to a members retreat in November… Read the Minutes of the meeting for yourselves by clicking on the link:
AGM Minutes 2017

We are pleased to announce that the Rt Revd John Stroyan, Bishop of Warwick, has been appointed as our new President.

Bishop John succeeds the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of Southwark, who came to the end of his term of office at the end of 2016.

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