Times of Acadiana - www.timesofacadiana.com -
Home News Opinion Movies Music Events/Exhibits About Us
Silent Treatment
By Cher� Coen
Photos by P.C. Piazza
Just outside the bustle of Atlanta, along the sleepy Chattahoochee River, lies a respite from the hurried, noisy modern world.
Run by the Jesuit Fathers and Brothers of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus, Ignatius House of Sandy Springs, Ga., offers weekend, 7- or 9-day retreats in the woodsy area along the river�s banks. And even though there are presentations modern translations of shakespeare and consultations offered, the retreats are held in silence.
�The whole focus is silence, to connect with the holy spirit or a modern bakery hartford higher power,� said Jenny Schmitt, public relations coordinator. �A weekend retreat at Ignatius House allows individuals to take a break from the material modern transendentalism world and become closer to God by surrounding themselves with and embracing God�s beautiful creation.
�It�s to reconnect with who we really are.�
The retreats are based on the �Spiritual Exercises� devised by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th century nobleman and founder of the Jesuit Order. Ignatius took notes of his own spiritual conversion at Manresa, Spain, and those writings form the basis of his exercises today.
Closer to Lafayette is the Jesuit Spirituality Center at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, which has been offering directed retreats throughout the year with no gender stipulations since 1972. modern princess store Also in Grand read modern books online free Coteau, on three acres of land surrounding by historic cemeteries and the St. Charles Borromeo Church, is Our Lady of the Oaks weekend preached retreats for male and female groups and couples.
�All of our retreats are based on what is known as the �Spiritual Exercises� of St Ignatius of Loyola,� and that includes a melt with you modern english silence component, modern talking cherry said Father Anthony H. Ostini, director of the Jesuit Spirituality Center.
In 1931, along the Mississippi River at Convent, a group of Jesuits modern diamonds purchased the 130-acre Jefferson modern house College, once a private school for the sons of plantation owners, and created Manresa retreat house, which now offers preached retreats for men, made in silence, based on the �Spiritual Exercises.�
Weekend retreats beginning on Thursday evenings are offered every weekend except ontario modern culture for the last weekend of the year, and assigned retreat directors offers 30-minute conferences or �talks� throughout the period, according to the Manresa Web site. In addition, six mid-week retreats are offered.
Trained Jesuit priests are available for individual conferences at Manresa and daily Mass and other devotions and activities are available.
Catholic run, but open to all
All the facilities and their retreats are non-denominational, modern naval battle but planters modern based on Christian teachings and run by Catholics.
�The retreats are open to all faiths but they are definitely Christian, and the people who give them are all Catholic,� Ostini said.
�We get people from all over the country but also all over the faith spectrum or lack thereof,� Schmitt explained.
Ignatius House modern trailer sales offers an outdoor stations of the cross with explanations, but the Christian aspect of the retreat is toned down, she said. Priests offer consolations and confession, and there is a Mass at the end of the retreat, but the chapel is more neutral than a traditional Catholic church, she said, so it appeals to all faiths.
�This isn�t evangelical,� she said. �This is taking the time to be quiet in a world that�s becoming chaotic.�
How it works
At Ignatius House, retreat participants arrive and share a welcome prayer and dinner at 6 p.m. on either the Thursday or Friday, depending on the retreat�s length. They meet each other and talk to �get out their nervousness,� Schmitt explained.
Participants are given three to four questions at the beginning to reflect upon.
Then a bell rings and everyone remains quiet until Sunday, except for sessions where a priest or lay person will offer specific exercises where participants may reflect on certain aspects of spirituality or in private �spiritual counseling� with priests, all of which are optional. Bells ring throughout the day to mark chinese modern weapons these sessions and meals.
Rooms are like dorm rooms with private baths. Cell phones are not allowed, but the office number can be given to modern hooks family members for emergencies. Participants can read or modern convoy security sop be creative by writing or painting, among other quiet activities, but silence is required.
Retreats end at noon on Sunday, but participants can hang around after lunch to talk, Schmitt said.
At the Jesuit Spirituality Center, retreats begin on either Thursday or Friday for weekend sessions and longer retreats, such as 8-day or 30-day modern wall art retreats, are available. Each person meets with the retreat director daily for counseling, Ostini explained.
�Four talks are given each day along with the chance to talk with one of the priests in between the talks,� he said.
Participants can walk along modern masters fine art el paseo the 900 acres of the Center, which includes farmland, groves of live oak trees, an outdoor swimming pool and walking, bicycling and jogging paths.
The only stipulation, according to the Web site, �is to be alone with God in a spirit of silence and simplicity, for it is in this climate that one can best experience the voice of God.�
Special retreats are offered at both Ignatius House and the Jesuit Spirituality Center. For instance, Ignatius House hosts retreats for youth and those fighting addiction. The Jesuit Spirituality Center will feature Andrea Vidrine, author of Jesus, Yoga, & the Way of Happiness: A Christian Yoga Daily Devotional, in a one-day retreat on Aug. 23 titled �Cultivating Happiness: A Day of Renewal for Women.�
Costs
The cost of an Ignatius House retreat is $300 per person, but they ask for at least a $150 donation, Schmitt said. At the Jesuit Spirituality Center, the modern country myspace layout codes suggested donation is modern human food web $60 a night. No set fee is required at Manresa, and all contributions are anonymous.
�Some people donate more, some less,� Schmitt said. �You can donate more or less depending on your means.�
Bringing it home
Priests give participants tips to bring home with them after their retreat at Ignatius House, Schmitt said, �so modern baby cribs you don�t lose it when you get back.�
One of these tips wool and rug and modern is to set five minutes each morning to meditate, focus on the breath, pray or find inner silence. Setting a timer �frees you from having to focus on the time,� Schmitt said, and making it only five minutes is attractive to busy people.
Schmitt, who has participated in several retreats herself, likens the quiet modern jet combat range comparison time to reconnect to receiving a medical checkup.
�As Americans, we have a way to fill every moment in our lives,� she said. �I find david may modern healthcare it (the retreats) beyond refreshing. I find it renewing.�
Print this article E-mail this to a friend
Copyright ©2007 The Times of Acadiana. All rights reserved.
Use of this site indicates your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
(Terms updated 7/20/05)
|
