By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

Retreat houses offer place to pray, reflect

SUPERIOR -- Since biblical times people have gone into the wilderness to pray and reflect. Even Jesus felt the need to fast and pray in the desert to prepare for his ministry. Today retreats serve this same purpose, providing people with a break from the concerns of everyday life to revitalize and deepen their faith.

There are many types of retreats. Some are just a day or even part of a day, while others last a week. At one end of the spectrum are completely preplanned group retreats conducted by retreat center staff. At the other end of the spectrum are hermitages that offer a place of seclusion and tranquility where individuals can follow their own personal retreat schedules.

There are several retreat centers in or near the Superior diocese, most of which take advantage of the scenic and peaceful northern Wisconsin wilderness. Some of these centers are very small, so it is advisable to call as far in advance as possible to reserve space.

Servite Center for Life, Ladysmith

The Servite Center for Life, at the motherhouse of the Servants of Mary, is one alternative for spiritual enrichment. In describing the purpose of the center, director Nancy Wheeler cited its mission statement: "As an interfaith ministry rooted in the Servite tradition, we seek to inspire the people of northern Wisconsin as they recognize and respond to the gifts and workings of the Spirit within themselves and all of creation."

People are welcome to come to the center for individual retreats lasting an hour, a half day or a day. Although the center has two guest rooms, overnight retreats are not usual. Retreatants are free to spend the day as they wish -- walking in the grounds along the Flambeau river, walking the labyrinth or taking some time to lie in a hammock. Both an inside and an outside chapel are available, as well as a library and a prayer/reflection room.

If people want guidance, there is a spiritual director on site. In addition, if requested, Sisters at the motherhouse are also be willing to talk to retreatants, Wheeler said.

The main focus of the center is their workshops, which Wheeler said offer a variety of methods to increase spirituality. "We're trying to help people make a connection to the divine in whatever way they can. We are sort of walking with them on their journey ... helping them find their own meaning," Wheeler said.

Each week there is at least one evening or day-long workshop or program. Some of the programs deal with holistic and alternative medicine and there is a healing service each month. Wheeler said the classes are not intended to steer people away from traditional medicine but to complement it Call: 715-532-3364

Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center, Arbor Vitae

The Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center is operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Perpetual Adoration. Its mission is to provide opportunities for faith development, personal growth, greater awareness of and respect for earth, and cultural understanding.

The center is located on Trout Lake and has a main building with a meeting room, chapel, library and a spiritual direction room. There are four housekeeping cabins, with fireplaces, for overnight stays. Trails for hiking, biking or cross-country skiing are available nearby.

Throughout the year the center offers evening and day-long workshops. One or two events a year include an overnight stay at the center. The programs cover a variety of topics designed to appeal to both men and women and are open to people of all faiths.

Small groups of no more than 18 people can schedule a day of reflection at the center and either conduct the sessions on their own or have a member of the center staff facilitate.

The center is also available for private retreats of one to eight days during most of the year. (In June, July and August the cabins are reserved for the use of Sisters.) People can make their retreats independently or chose a retreat directed by one of the four Sisters who serve as retreat directors.

Call: 715-385-3750; Web site: www.fspa.org/spiritual/marywood

McCabe Renewal Center, Duluth, Minn.

The McCabe Renewal Center offers space and opportunities to nurture the whole person. Its mission statement adds, "As a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery, the Center is committed to journey with others as they seek wholeness and inner peace."

Throughout the year the center presents a wide selection of workshops and retreats. Most are evening or Saturday programs, although there is an overnight retreat about once a month. Some of the offerings vary according to the season of the year. A variety of experts serve as facilitators, including lay people, religious, and clergy of various faiths, said Rita Rosenberger, administrative assistant for the center.

Individuals or groups can schedule day-long or overnight retreats, with or without the services of the center's spiritual director. The house can accommodate 25 people during the day and has sleeping space for 18 guests in single, double, or triple occupancy rooms. Meals are always included for participants in overnight retreats. Rosenberger noted that all of the meals are made from scratch and include homemade bread and soups.

Meeting space is also available to groups for meetings. Rosenberger said the center is open to people of all faith traditions and to any organization as long as their mission isn't contradictory to social justice.

Therapeutic massage, an important part of the center's ministry, is available in conjunction with retreats or separately. The public, as well as retreatants and those attending meetings are also welcome to join in daily prayers at the center or to walk the labyrinth on the grounds.

Call: 218 724-5266; e-mail: McCabeRenCtr@aol com; monastery Web site: www.peace-duluthmn.org

The St. Anthony Retreat Center, Marathon

The St. Anthony Retreat Center is sponsored by the Capuchin Franciscan Friars. Fr. Dan Crosby, center director, said retreats help people regain their focus and become more centered. "It really is a time for people to allow God to get into their hearts a little more deeply and to give themselves a break from all the frantic pace that most of us are driven by in our everyday life."

The center's 45 wooded acres have numerous walking paths, a labyrinth and stations of the cross, where retreatants can pray and meditate. A variety of books, tapes, videos and art supplies are available. There is also a certified massage therapist.

The center has accommodations for about 80 people in individual rooms. Home-cooked meals, which Crosby described as "good German farm cooking," are included.

Every year the center selects a theme and several times throughout the year offers silent weekend retreats centered on the theme. The 2000-2001 theme is "Jesus: A Vision of Hope." There are two retreats on this theme remaining on the schedule this year.

They also have day, evening and weekend retreats and workshops aimed at specific populations such as married couples, the divorced and separated, the widowed or youth. Some of the offerings are also geared to a particular area of prayer or spirituality. Some of the retreats offered are a women's intergenerational retreats and retreats on Christian Celtic Spirituality, Healing, the Art of Meditation and 12-step spirituality.

The center is also available for private retreats for varying lengths of time. The retreatant is free to spend the time reading, praying and reflecting. Tapes and books are available to use as guides.

Directed individual retreats are also offered. As in a private retreat there is time to pray, read and listen to God speaking. In addition, each retreatant is assigned a director who meets with the retreatant each day.

Conference rooms, lounges, dining room and a chapel are also available for groups of various sizes to conduct their own programs for a day, evening or weekend. The center is open to people of any denomination, as long as the purpose of the program is in keeping with the mission of the retreat center. "We make sure that any program we put on or we host is spirituality centered," Crosby said.

Call: 715-443-2236; Fax: 715 443-2235; e-mail: info@sarcenter.com; Web site www.sarcenter.com

Two Carmelite groups in the diocese offer hermitages to give individuals the solitude and quiet they need to grow closer to God.

Carmelite Hermitage, Hudson

The Carmelite Nuns of Hudson have one hermitage available for individual retreats. Sr. Gemma Angelo, who is in charge of greeting guests, said the hermitage gives people a place to pray and have solitude and silence. "It is just for people that want to deepen their prayer life and get away entirely from where they are in their life."

The hermitage, which opened in 1995, is intended for use by one person making an individual retreat. It is stocked with all the necessities for breakfast and supper. At noon a cooked meal is provided that can be eaten alone in the monastery dining room or taken back to the hermitage.

Retreatants spend their time praying, reading, listening to music or walking on the wooded grounds. They can also visit the chapel or participate in Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

Although retreats at the hermitage are not directed, Angelo said,"If they want to know about prayer life, we certainly will help them as much as we can."

Call: 715-386-2156; Web site: www.pressenter.com~carmelit.

Mt. Carmel Hermitage, Amery

Five individual cabins, available year-round, make up Mt. Carmel Hermitage, in Amery. They are located on scenic grounds with paths for walking and meditation. Sr. Kristine Haugen said the hermitage exists "to deepen peoples' lives of prayer so from the silence and solitude they will go back to their everyday labors refreshed and with a greater relationship with Christ." She added, "Here it is a simple room with a comfortable chair and just the beauty of nature. Sometimes it is so quiet you can hear your heartbeat."

The cabins have wood stoves, supplemented by electric heat and a fully furnished kitchenette. Retreatants bring their own food and cook their own meals.

People come for private retreats and are mainly on their own, guided by a booklet Haugen said encourages them to rest and develop their own rhythm of prayer, walking and communing with nature. She added, "A Sister is available for spiritual direction if requested." Communion services are offered for retreatants and occasionally Mass is celebrated if a priest is available.

There is a Blessed Sacrament chapel for retreatants and outdoors, along the Stations of the Cross, there is a small meditation chapel.

Call: 715-268-9313; Fax: 715-268-7495.

< Local Archives

© Superior Catholic Herald, 2001