Mission Centered Education - Retreat Frequently Asked Questions

The Retreat As A Spiritual Practice

A Sampling Of Past Retreats

Upcoming Retreats, 2010 - 2011

The Retreat as a Spiritual Practice

What is a retreat? Why do Christians engage in this practice?
To withdraw for a time from one’s ordinary, day-to-day routines is a spiritual practice that has been shared and value by many religious traditions across the millennia and across the globe. Traditionally thought of as a time of prayer, preparation, and integration, the retreat provides a portal through which God calls us to awaken, to engage with God, and to come to know ourselves as God’s most beloved child, uniquely equipped to embody and bear God’s love, justice, and peace into our own time and space in the world,

Responding to the promptings of the Spirit, Jesus withdrew to the desert for forty days before engaging in his public life and, during his ministry, “often Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray” (Luke 5:16). In imitation of the Lord, Christians ‘retreat,’ or go back to our Source—to grapple and to rest, to pare down and to be fed for the sake of our own perfection and in preparation for the contribution we alone can make so that God’s will “be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Who seeks to participate in a retreat?
People from all walks of life who are earnest about their relationship with God—men women, and children, young adults, families, adult of middle or advancing ages—all who are willing to step out in faith and draw near to God through prayer and reflection.

What does a retreat look like? What can I expect?
Each retreat experience is unique, A retreat can last a single day, a few fays, or many days, but every retreat intends to create space for us to encounter God through silence, prayer/liturgy, reflection, meditation, spiritual reading, movement, art, service, and/or holy conversation. Often, other people take part in retreat activities simultaneously, but the amount of interaction among the participants varies. Some retreats are facilitated by a director or a retreat team and focus on a spiritual theme; in some cases, you, as an individual retreatant, can choose to structure a retreat for yourself.

In any case, you can expect to encounter the Living God, and to grow in God’s wisdom and
grace.

Where can I find a retreat center?
In Idaho, you can find or arrange for facilitated retreats in the Roman Catholic tradition at: