Online Retreats

Have you considered an online retreat? All the input (sometimes including spiritual direction) can be accessed online, but you can spend the silent times in the comfort and familiarity of your own home?

APR Trustee Revd Cameron Butland is leading an online retreat, ‘Silence in Celtic Christianity’ from 10-11 February. Click here for more information, and for how to book.

Or join Chris Whittington and the School of Contemplative Life for a 3-day meditation retreat with The Cloud of Unknowing from 10-12 February – All info and bookings can be accessed here.

Donna Worthington from Christian Retreats also has a full programme of online Quiet Mornings/Afternoons, including on 18th February, 6th March, and 15th May 2023.

Do you want to go on retreat, but are anxious about what might be expected of you?

Many people are nervous about going on retreat for the first time – but there’s really no need! All retreat houses welcome ‘first-timers’ through their doors, for all their retreats, but some also offer retreats specifically for people who haven’t been on one before.

This year, why not try going to to Launde Abbey from 17-19 March 2023?

And many of the individually guided retreats or ‘Longing for God’ at the House of Prayer, East Molesey, are suitable for beginners too – including their retreats from 27-29 Jan, 21-23 Feb, 3-5 March or 19-21 May 2023.

‘Oasis Days’ offer quiet reflection for people who need a day to re-charge their spiritual batteries and enjoy the stimulation of an excellent speaker.

Currently offered online via Zoom, the next one (entitled ‘Resting in God’, and led by Donna Worthington of Christian Retreats) is to be held on Tuesday 14th February, 10.45am – 3.00pm. Please email APR member, Jane Franklin on janefranklinretreats@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Led by Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Tej Kondel, this retreat will use reflective practice and prayer to examine the complex relationship between the human capacity to love and be loved, and explore the implications for psychological wellbeing.

It will be held in February at the Ffald-y-Brenin retreat centre in Pembrokeshire.

The retreat will run between 11-13 February, and be repeated from 13-15 February 2023, and will cost £225 p.p. More information and booking details can be found on this downloadable flyer.

Join APR President, Rt Revd John Stroyan, for a 3-day retreat at Launde Abbey from 6-9 February 2023.

Entitled ‘Come to Me‘, the retreat will include input from Bishop John, as well time for personal reflection, prayer and stillness. The retreat will cost £425, which includes en-suite accommodation, food and all retreat resources.

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We are delighted to welcome new Friends of APR to the fold. These generous donors of our work choose to double (or more) their annual subscription in order to support our Bursary Fund. Every year, we receive dozens of applications for financial assistance for people who cannot otherwise afford the full cost of going on retreat. Since 2013, we have supported more than 150 retreatants to attend retreats at 30 different retreat houses, at a cost of more than £15,000.

As the APR’s way of saying ‘thank you’ to NHS Staff and care-workers for their tireless care throughout the pandemic, we made a number of additional bursaries available for them to go on retreat at any of the APR Retreat Houses across the UK. Thanks to some generous donations, we were able to run the scheme for 2 full years.

In total, we spent almost £20,000 supporting 240 NHS- and care-workers’ retreats, at UK retreat houses from Cornwall to Inverness, Pembrokeshire to Norfolk. You can read a fuller review of how much this scheme was appreciated here.

Our centenary Bursary Fund continues to support retreats for people who might not otherwise be able to afford them. If you would like to contribute to this, and help even more people take a much-needed retreat this year, please follow this link.

‘Make Space for Encounter’ – Individually Guided Retreats at Letton Hall in Norfolk from 13-16 March 2023, and also 18-21 September 2023.

Take time out of your busy schedule to draw near to God, to think, to reflect, pray and grow, noticing and finding God in all things. 1:1 sessions with a Spiritual Director are available (booking in advance required).

The retreat will cost £240 – £265, all meals included. Booking forms are also available from the Revd Deborah Hamilton-Grey, (Email: rev@guidedretreats.org.uk, or telephone: 07896 658373) www.guidedretreats.org.uk

Private self-catered IGR’s are also available to book at any time  – contact Revd Deborah Hamilton-Grey directly to arrange your own!

These are just a selection of the online retreats offered by Donna Worthington. For bookings and further information, please visit www.christianretreats.live, or contact Donna directly: drworthington@live.co.uk

DESERT FATHERS: Mon 17th October (10am-1pm)

WATER INTO WINE: Sat 22 October (2-5pm) or Mon 24 October (10am-1pm)

RESTING IN GOD, HELD BY GOD: Sat 12 November (2-5pm) or Mon 14 November (10am-1pm)

WISDOM FROM THE DESERT: Sun 14th December (2-5pm)

Soul Desire is a timely publication, written for those who are new to contemplation. Author and Spirituality Adviser, Cameron Butland, writes, ‘If we are to value silence and meditation, we need to trust in the contemplative relationship and allow ourselves to experience the love of God. This experience will teach us everything we need to know. God’s love taught St Anthony of Egypt and in the same way this love alone can transform our lives’.

To order your copy, cost £12 (free p&p), please email booksosp@gmail.com, or contact Cameron Butland directly at cdsa03@gmail.com.