Residential Retreats and Quiet Breaks in 2024
In 2024 we are offering a series of retreats ideal for people wanting to find out what a retreat is – but also for those who know already. Individually guided retreats are held in silence with daily individual meetings with a spiritual director, who will help you to listen to what God is saying to you.
There is space especially for prayer, a range of materials for creative work, gardens and countryside to walk in, and others alongside you sharing the experience in companionable silence. This is an opportunity to enter sacred space to be in deep conversation with God.
INDIVIDUALLY GUIDED RETREATS
You will have an individual meeting each day with our Retreat Director, Naomi Hamilton, who will provide guidance on your prayer. Each retreatant will have their own designated table in the large dining room. There will be books and art and craft materials available. See below for costs.
The Centre is located one mile from historic castle town of Arundel which has a Roman Catholic Cathedral, a Church of England Parish Church (St Nicholas) and a Baptist Church.To enquire please contact Maria on 01903 413606 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
INDIVIDUALLY GUIDED RETREAT
Thursday 8 August to Sunday 11 August 2024
This will be a chance to take some time out of the busyness of daily life.
Throughout the retreat there will be time for prayer and meditation within a silent setting. This could include walking, art-work, writing or other forms of creative or relaxing time with God.
About the retreat
This retreat is ideal for people wanting to find out what a retreat is – but also for those who know already. Individually guided retreats (IGR) are held in silence apart from the initial welcome meeting.
There will be daily individual meetings with a spiritual director. The meetings are to talk about what is happening in your prayer, and to receive guidance on what to pray with for the next 23 hours. This is an opportunity to be in deep conversation with God.
Meals are held in silence, and there is generally no vocal group prayer. Retreatants are expected to spend much of the day in a meditative way with several focussed periods of prayer. Opportunity for mass at Arundel Cathedral.
There is space especially for prayer, a range of materials for creative work, gardens and countryside to walk in, and others alongside you sharing the experience in companionable silence.
The retreat will be led by Naomi Hamilton, who is an experienced Catholic retreat guide and spiritual director. All welcome but places are limited.
More details
- The Retreat starts on arrival afternoon (arrivals from 4pm) for 2 or 3 nights and ends on the afternoon of your departure day.
- All rooms en-suite, including 2 ground floor accessible rooms.
- The cost includes spiritual direction sessions, full board, home cooked meals.
- Cost: Single room £320 for 3 nights or £225 per person for 2 nights (£415 for 4 nights)
To book please phone Maria on 01903 413606 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a booking form. Places are limited, all welcome.
Future IGR Dates
4 to 6 October
QUIET BREAKS
At times we open the house for individuals and couples who wish to stay for a restful break but who do not wish for Spiritual Direction. Full board is provided. Minimum 2 night stay.
Dates of Quiet Breaks
Monday 12 August to Thursday 15 August 2024
Cost £310 for 3 nights full board in a single en suite room
WHAT IS A RETREAT?
A retreat is a time to step back from everyday life and focus on your relationship with God. There are different forms of retreat: themed, individually guided, preached, silent, and more.
A themed retreat takes place in a group with one or more retreat directors offering sessions which may contain information (such as, how to make a discernment), guided meditations, methods of praying, topics to discuss, and group prayer meetings.
Sometimes the group can meet and talk over the input with each other between formal sessions, sometimes they spend the intervening hours in silent prayer.
An individually guided retreat is held in silence apart from an initial group meeting. Each retreatant meets with a spiritual director each day to talk about what is happening in their prayer, and to receive guidance on what to pray with for the next 23 hours.
Meals are held in silence, and there is generally no vocal group prayer (there may be silent group prayer). Retreatants are expected to spend much of the day in a meditative way with several focussed periods of prayer.
This type of retreat typically lasts from 2-8 days. Beginners might want to start with 2 days. Amazing things can happen with God even in 2 days!
A preached retreat is held in a group with a retreat director who gives formal spiritual ‘lectures’ and then leaves the retreatants to pray with the content, generally in their own way. Normally this will be done in silence, although there may be group prayer.
Prayer during a retreat can include imaginative contemplation, centring prayer, creative art-based activity, writing, walking, meditation etc. In general reading is not encouraged as it can take the mind away from God, but sometimes poetry is used for prayer.
What is spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction is about growing your life with God. It is NOT counselling – it is not about solving a problem – but about listening out for God in every aspect of life, and helping you to follow God’s ways.
A spiritual director listens to you without judgement as you talk about what is going on in your life with God, either specifically in prayer or generally in your work, family, church etc. The term ‘director’ is not really accurate, as they don’t direct.
Rather, they accompany you on your faith journey, listening out for God’s voice or action in what you tell them. Typically in spiritual direction you talk about whatever is most active in your life, whether good or difficult, and the spiritual director will help you to discern what is going on, how to respond, what to pray with, and more. They might teach you methods of prayer, or make suggestions for scripture to pray with.
A spiritual director should be properly trained, and generally is invited to train because they have shown signs of being gifted in this area. There are different training programme based on different types of Christian spirituality, but all involve learning to listen actively for God.
All spiritual directors should be in spiritual direction themselves and have regular supervision. They should operate to a set of ethical guidelines such as those prepared by the London Centre for Spiritual Directors or the Retreat Association, and are often bound by diocesan safeguarding rules.
Our retreat director
Naomi Hamilton is a trained spiritual director and retreat guide. She was invited by her own spiritual director to train on a 2-year course in York which was focussed on Ignatian spiritual direction. She has also spent time with Benedictine monks learning their spiritual traditions.
Naomi trained in retreat direction at St Beuno’s Jesuit Retreat House, and worked on the permanent team there, giving individually guided retreats and themed retreats as well as being part of teams training spiritual directors and prayer guides. She is also trained in supervising spiritual directors.
Having recently moved to Sussex to become a freelance spirituality worker, she offers not just spiritual direction, retreats and supervision but also parish quiet days and courses on prayer. Visit her website here.
