While many people come to a retreat center as part of a group or to attend a group program, many others come as individuals, or possibly as a couple, for a time of spiritual renewal. Such private retreats, of course, take a seemingly unending number of forms.

You may have a rather firm idea of how you would spend your time on a private retreat, or you may have little idea other than you feel a need to “get away.” If you are uncertain, we suggest you refer to our “retreat guide” , a fairly extensive description of how you can plan your time away. If you think you would like to have someone to talk with about your retreat experience as you prepare for it, and as your retreat time progresses, see our section on spiritual direction. In any case, a private retreat is time for you to spend with God.

Private retreats are scheduled individually for any period of time, short or long, when a building is not committed to a group. It is possible that you are the only one in the building at the time, or there may be individuals in other rooms. Our general policy is one of silence in the common areas to enhance the retreat experience, other than as the participants on site at a particular time reach consensus on some modification of this pattern.

An even greater degree of seclusion is possible if a private retreatant wishes to reserve space in a separate cabin. There is more than one approach to food during the time you are here, so again there are a variety of forms of a private retreat here.