Our community takes time each year to step away from our daily activities and come together for our annual retreat at the monastery. It is more than simply taking a break; it is a precious time to rest our bodies, quiet our minds, and renew our hearts in God’s presence.

Retreat reminds us that we need to regularly pause, return to ourselves, and become friends with ourselves again—to listen to what is happening within us, to acknowledge our joys and struggles, and to gently place everything back into God’s hands.

As a community, retreat also gives us the grace to walk together, to renew our relationships, and to remember the heart of our vocation. Away from the noise and busyness of everyday life, we create space to listen more deeply to God, to ourselves, and to one another.

Sometimes we need to step away from everything, so that we can return to what truly matters: God, ourselves, and the people He has entrusted to us. May these days of retreat help us rest, reconnect, and rediscover the quiet place where God is truly present.

AnnaMaria, smf

“Yes, Let it be done to me according to thy word” (Lk 1: 38)