SPRING 2010

SUMMER 2010

The Rule of St. Benedict emphasizes the warm reception of guests. Our retreat facilities provide a contemporary response to this time honored custom. Because the need for spiritual renewal is always present in the lives of those seeking to follow Christ, individual and group retreatants are welcome at Glastonbury throughout the year. In addition, our retreat staff, a number of monks and a laywoman, offers some special retreat programs and are also available for individual personal direction. Retreatants come to Glastonbury to pray, to witness a shared life of dedication to Christ, and to experience the joy, peace and love promised to believers gathered in His name. Guests share in the monastic atmosphere of prayer, silence and community and are welcome to join the monks at the Liturgy of the Hours and daily Eucharist.

Reservations for a particular retreat may be made by phoning the Retreat Secretary at 781-749-2155, extension 200 , Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

or write to: retreats@glastonburyabbey.org

In addition to the following programs, it is possible for individuals to reserve a few days at the retreat house for silence, enjoyment of the monastic environment and grounds, as well as the nearby ocean, and prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass with the monks.

SPRING AND SUMMER – 2010

March 5 – 7 Celtic Spirituality Workshop (Celtic I)

Participants explore the Celtic soul in history, art, music, story, poetry and prayer. This is a very full weekend. A considerable amount of material is covered dealing with the background of the ancient Celts, the distinctiveness of the Celtic Christian Church (5th to 12th centuries), and ensuing developments in Ireland and elsewhere that show how this Celtic Spirituality differs in many ways with what many Irish-Americans have experienced.

Some aspects of the older spirituality include the sacredness of the earth and the material world, a love of learning, an intimate yearning to explore the unknown, an appreciation of ordinary life as lived with the Holy Trinity, the great value of kinship relationships and soul friends, the closeness of the other world, the harmony of creation and redemption.

Presenters: Fr. Timothy Joyce, OSB, Celtic Harpist Mairead Doherty

Suggested Donation: $200.00

March 12 – 14 Monasticism, Beauty and Contemplation: A Retreat based on the Spirituality of Henri Nouwen.

This retreat shall explore the importance of monasticism and Thomas Merton in Nouwen’s life as well as his discovery of Beauty as a path toward Contemplation and thus to a deeper spiritual life of prayer.

Presenter: Robert Waldron

Robert Waldron is the author of fourteen books, three on Henri Nouwen. He is the recipient of two awards from the Catholic Press Association for best writing on modern spirituality.

Suggested Offering: $200.00

March 26 – 28 Lent, A Liturgical/Scriptural Spirituality

This Lenten retreat will consider the historical, liturgical and scriptural themes of the Lenten Season with particular emphasis on the Gospels from the “A” Cycle of Sunday readings as a means of opening them up for reflection and prayer.

Presenters: Abbey Staff

Suggested Offering: $150.00

April 1 – 4 Triduum Retreat

Spend the closing days of Holy Week praying the Liturgy of the Hours and celebrating the Liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday with the monks of Glastonbury Abbey. Each day, before the Liturgy, there will be a presentation on the history and liturgical spirituality of each day.

Presenters: Abbey Staff

Suggested Offering: $200.00

April 16 – 18 Women’s Retreat Mindfulness – The Path to Contemplation

The human spirit longs for meaning, connection, and inner peace. On this weekend set aside for women, we will share our hopes and aspirations as we explore the ways that the practice of mindfulness can enhance our spiritual journey and our awareness of the imminent presence of God.

Presenter: Sandra DeRome, Obl. OSB

Suggested Offering: $150.00

May 7 – 9 Mothers’ Day Weekend – Day of Reflection

Calling all mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters!

Give yourselves and each other the gift of a day of reflection and renewal. Celebrate the beauty of springtime in the quiet peace of Glastonbury Abbey. Day of Reflection will begin at 10:00 AM Saturday morning. Several options are available to you: arrive Friday evening or Saturday morning at 9:00 AM. Those who wish to do so may stay over until Sunday morning. Sunday Eucharist is at 9:30 AM.

Please contact the Retreat Office for information concerning cost depending on which option you choose.

Facilitator: Sandra DeRome, Obl. OSB

May 21 – 23 Daily Life as Spiritual Practice

“God is at home, it is we who have gone out for a walk.” – Meister Eckhart

What does it mean to live our daily lives as Spiritual Practice? How do we go out into the world while staying at home? During this weekend we will explore the art of spiritual living and how to enter it as a way of life. Participants will be invited to “let go” of achievement energy, a letting go to receive who we are on the Way to fullness of Being. Through the practice of meditative self presence, participants will experience the shift from living life out of an ethos of scarcity to one of abundance. We die to new life.

Facilitators: Martin Mullins, M.Sc., and Bro. Daniel Walters, OSB

Suggested Offering: $150.00

June 18 – 20 Retreat for Retired Persons

God in Our Golden Years: retired Doesn’t Mean Stopped!

Counting birthdays is not what makes us “old”! Not being tied down to working for pay brings freedom and opportunity, both in prayer and the rest of life. Join the monks for Mass and the Divine Office as you wish. Presentations will include praying with scripture and making the most of the unique opportunities available at this stage of our development as human. We have learned to deal with a lot in life. How can we make the most of those skills to our own advantage and that of others?

Presenter: Bro. David Oakley, OSB

Suggested Offering: $150.00

July 6 – 11 The Contemplative Heart: A Guided/Directed Retreat for Women

“Earth’s crammed with heaven and every common bush alive with God.” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

Do you long to be more centered, more aware of the all-pervading presence of God in your life, in nature, in the cosmos? Come and spend a few days of prayer; rekindle your gifts of awe and wonder; rest and relax; renew your contemplative heart. Each morning there will be a short presentation followed by a period of guided prayer, reflection and discussion. Individual spiritual direction will be offered in the afternoon. Registration is restricted to five retreatants, so sign up early.

Presenter: Sandra DeRome, Obl. OSB

Suggested Offering: $350.00

A SUMMER WITH A DIFFERENCE

Looking for a place to have a peaceful, very different (and inexpensive) summer stay? Perhaps a week (or more) at a Benedictine monastery is just what you are looking for!

We cannot offer you luxury accommodations, cable TV, internet access or even radio.

What we can offer is far superior.

We can offer you simple, clean accommodations, a quiet and peaceful environment, the opportunity to pray regularly with the monks, attractive grounds, an excellent religious and spiritual library, good meals, complete air-conditioning, good public transportation to Boston, a number of state and local conservation areas nearby, the ocean only two miles from our door, and all the attractions of historic Hingham and the many other beautiful coastal towns of Boston’s “South Shore”.

Contact the Retreat Office for costs depending on meal plans.

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RETREAT LINK: The Sisters of Saint Joseph conduct Saint Joseph Retreat Center which is located on the coast about two miles from the abbey. Priests of the abbey regularly celebrate Mass for them. For a notice of retreats available at their center go to www.csjretreatcenter.org