Calendar of Retreats

Encountering God through Forgiveness: The Healing Power of Divine Mercy

A silent retreat with Br. Louis de Montfort, O.S.B.

June 24-26, 2022

Cost and registration: Please email for information

Note: This retreat is full: Please email to be added to the waitlist.

In a world filled with noises and discords, heartaches and anxiety, there is a greater hunger for peace and meaning.  Soaring above this sea of turbulence is Mount Angel Abbey, which sits above a sacred hill.  Surrounded by natural beauty and graced by prayer and silence, it speaks to every heart that yearns to seek that which is above.  As part of a monastic silent retreat on “Encountering God,” we invite all to share in the Benedictine life of prayer, meditation and silence.  This particular retreat focuses on encountering God through the gift and power of forgiveness.   The basis of the retreat reflection with be Christ’s life and the Gospels, in addition to anecdotal stories shared in Allen Hunt’s book “Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody.”  Through the amazing grace of forgiveness, we can experience and delve into the unfathomable depth of God’s love and mercy. Be renewed, healed and transformed…

Recommended Readings:

1. “Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody” by Allen Hunt
2. “Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful love of Jesus in Your Life” by Bob Schuchts

Foundations of Monastic Spirituality According to the Holy Rule of St. Benedict

A silent retreat directed by Fr. John Paul Le, O.S.B.

July 15-17, 2022

This retreat will explore the foundations of monastic spirituality as envisioned by St. Benedict, the father of western monasticism. In his prologue to the Holy Rule, St. Benedict envisions the monastic way as beginning with listening with the ear of one’s heart and concluding with “hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.”
Fr. John Paul Le, O.S.B., has been a monk of Mount Angel Abbey for 13 years. Along with his various assignments, he teaches Monastic Sources at Mount Angel Seminary and to the novices (new monks) in the monastery.

Email retreat@mtangel.edu or call 503.845.3025 for availability.

True Devotion to Mary:
Mary Revealed in the Old and New Testaments

with Br. Louis de Montfort, O.S.B.

A spiritual and contemplative journey into Marian devotion, touching on the teachings of St. Louis de Montfort Grignon and unpacking the richness of Mary as found in the Bible. With a deep and contemplative gaze of the Old and New Testaments, one can discover the hidden treasure of our Lady, one whom God has kept a secret in ages past but has now revealed to those who love him. Mary has been foreshadowed by Eve, the new garden and new paradise, the matriarchs of old, the burning bush, the Ark of the Covenant, the Temple and much more. Mary, the Mother of God, is central to God’s plan for salvation – she is the New Eve and the Mother of Jesus Christ and his Mystical Body. Hence, she is the Mother of all Christians. She is intimately associated with her Divine Son for all time. “Woman, Behold Thy Son … Son, Behold Thy Mother…” (John 19:26-27).

Br. Louis de Montfort Nguyen has been a monk of Mount Angel Abbey since 20211. He serves as the Director of Spiritual Ministries at the guesthouse and organizes and leads retreats, spiritual direction, and other ministries. He serves in other capacities at the monastery, including as the monastery infirmarian, science adjunct professor at Mount Angel Seminary, specializing in the field of “science and faith,” and is a trained physician. One of his deepest devotions is to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which began after he discovered the book “True Devotion to Mary,” by St. Louis de Montfort. More recently in the last three years, he has also been graced with a devotion to and love for St. Joseph.

Cost:
$270 Single
$380 Couple
$115 Commuter per person

For registration: Please email for information

Ignatian Silent Retreat

Bill Zuelke and
Spiritual Directors Team

August 22-26, 2022

This is a guided Ignatian silent retreat with daily conferences and the availability of one-on-one spiritual direction. The theme of the retreat is “Like us in all things but sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The Son of God worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will and he loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin (GS 22). During this three-day silent Ignatian retreat, we will take a deep dive into the section of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (called the second week) that draws us into a personal relationship with Jesus in his humanity. We will focus on the Gospels as they invite us into this concrete experience of Jesus, one like us in his humanity, whose experiences we recognize in our humanity.

Day One: The Incarnation
Day Two: The human experiences of Jesus
Day Three: Jesus in relationship

We will start each day with a reflection on the theme of the day. You will be invited to spend three one-hour periods in focused prayer on the material, and you will have a chance to meet with a private retreat director. Each evening will be an opportunity to share the graces of the day and receive points to guide your next day’s prayer. The retreat will be in silence, with reading during meals. You will have the opportunity for daily Mass and prayer with the monks should you choose that.

The retreat master, Bill Zuelke, is a spiritual director, life coach, and an associate staff member of Soul Formation. He provides spiritual direction, adult education, retreats, workshops, supervision, and consultations. He is trained in Jesuit spirituality and discernment of spirits. He has provided individual spiritual direction, private and group retreats, and assistance with personal and corporate discernment for over 35 years. He will work alongside a team of spiritual directors who will be available for one-on-one spiritual direction.

Cost:
$660 Single
$1000 Double

For registration: Please email for information

Checkout is after lunch on Friday.

Advent Retreat

with Abbot Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B.

December 2 – 4, 2022

Please email for more information

Shakespeare’s Henry V: A Study in Leadership

A retreat with Fr. Stephen Rowan, Ph.D.

December 9-11, 2022

Retreat Master: Father Stephen Rowan, S.T.B. and Ph.D., a priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle, has served since 1970 as a teacher of English and a college administrator and as Vicar for Education and Superintendent for Catholic Schools (2001-04 and 2012-14). Fr. Rowan received his doctorate in English from the University of British Columbia, has authored several books and articles, and presented at conferences, retreats, and convocations. He is presently living in Silverton, Oregon, and teaching at Mount Angel Seminary.

Recommended reading:

• Any version of Shakespeare’s Henry V play

Email retreat@mtangel.edu or call 503.845.3025 for availability.

* Mass and the Divine Office are celebrated in the Abbey church

Mary’s Fiat as the Model
for Mental Healing & Spiritual Warfare

A retreat with Dr. Christin McIntyre, MD, Ph.D.

March 24-26, 2023

Description: A psychiatrist in clinical practice and devout believer in the power of God’s grace, Dr. McIntyre shares powerful insights into spiritual healing by conforming one’s will to that of the God who loves and cares for his people.

Speaker’s Biography: Dr. Christin McIntyre is a Portland native who converted to Catholicism in 1997. She and her husband Jim have five children, and attend St Stanislaus Parish in Rathdrum, Idaho. She earned a combined MD/PhD degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Kansas Medical Center, and returned to Oregon to complete a residency in Psychiatry at OHSU. She has been in outpatient practice as a psychiatrist in the Portland area since 2003, and continues to see patients in Oregon and Washington by telehealth since relocating to Idaho in 2021.

Email retreat@mtangel.edu or call 503.845.3025 for availability.

The Glory of the Paschal Triduum

A Holy Week Silent Retreat with
Abbot Jeremy Driscoll O.S.B.
Abbot Peter Eberle O.S.B.
Br. Louis de Montfort O.S.B.

April 5-9, 2023

Description: Come and experience the glory, beauty and mystery of the Paschal Triduum and the glory of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Become immersed in the Paschal Mystery through an immersion in the Sacred Liturgy and Scripture while being guided by different Benedictine monks each day of Holy Week, the holiest week of the entire liturgical year. The daily conferences will focus and meditate on the themes of Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper, Friday of the Passion of the Lord, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord.

Recommended reading:

• Awesome Glory: Resurrection in Scripture, Liturgy and Theology, by Jeremy Driscoll, O.S.B.
• Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secretes of the Last Supper, by Brant Pitre
• Christ in His Mysteries, by Blessed Columba Marmion
• The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, by Scott Hahn

Email retreat@mtangel.edu or call 503.845.3025 for availability.

2 Become 1
A Retreat to Explore the Beauty
and Truth of Catholic Marriage

for Married and Engaged Couples, Co-Sponsored by Mount Angel Abbey and the Archdiocese of Portland

Features Fr. Matt Libra, Patricia Mackie, LPC, Br. Louis de Montfort, O.S.B., and your marriage!

May 26-28, 2023

A retreat from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on your one true vocation, the vocation of marriage. For engaged and married couples, this weekend will offer you opportunities to pray together, learn together, play together, and grow together. God has created this sacred sacrament and called you to it. On this weekend you will be invited to discern your current state of life, and listen and respond to God’s call and invitation to allow him into this Holy calling. This weekend is focused on learning how to respond to God’s call to marital holiness, you will review a personalized inventory of your relationship, and have quiet moments for prayer, reflection, and discussion.

This weekend qualifies for Marriage Preparation for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Check with your individual parish for specific requirements.

Cost: $550 – Couple (includes room and board for 2 nights, meals, and speaker fees)

For registration, please email retreat@mtangel.edu for more information.

2 Become 1

A couple rushes out the door hurrying to finish dishes and shuttle children to sports, the husband rushes one way, while the wife dashes the other. They return home tired, collapse on the couch, turn on the TV, scroll through social media, or return to their phone to complete one more to do item. They cannot recall the last time they actually shared an intimate evening, bared their soul to one another, and felt completely seen.

Another couple is in the thick of wedding planning. They are choosing menu items and completing guest lists. The dress is waiting; the tux is waiting, and they have been fighting about everything.

If any of these statements seem true to you, check out this 2 Become 1 Marriage and Marriage Prep retreat at Mount Angel Abbey.

This retreat is a response to prayer. I asked God what he wanted, what was the message. The response I heard was to share the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of his Church. The message was to remind couples they are not alone in their walk of holy matrimony, that a sacrament has God at the center and he wants to be invited.

The first question for me was Lord, how do I show them your beauty, where do I begin. God has given us beauty, nature, art, music, prayer, and Mount Angel Abbey is a place where you can experience them all. Then there is truth. We have to share the truth with one another. We have learned what makes marriages last and thrive, and the addition of attachment theory over the past 15 years helps us to understand why. This retreat will offer the truth about human relationships and the sacredness of marriage. Finally, we have goodness, found in the hidden life of families, and monks. The monks spend hours in prayer for our souls, for the conversion of hearts, and asking for the mercy of God the Father. Families spend hours in prayer, training and raising up souls, and offering one another mercy and forgiveness. Come and encounter truth, goodness, and beauty at Mount Angel Abbey.

The retreat includes two tracks, one for engaged couples, and one for married couples. The retreat fee includes meals, and lodging in the new guesthouse. You will listen to talks by Fr. Matt Libra, Br. Louis Nguyen, OSB, theologian Lynda Olsen, and counselor Patricia Mackie. The weekend will offer you ample time to sit in silence with one another and pray. Come and experience Benedictine hospitality.

– Patricia Mackie

Visit Every Day Counseling website for more information.

Monastic Spirituality:
Overcoming the 8 Evil Thoughts

A silent retreat directed by Fr. John Paul Le, O.S.B.

June 16-18, 2023

Sin and vice begin with the thoughts. This retreat will explore the 8 Evil Thoughts and how to overcome them according to St. John Cassian. The thoughts are gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, acedia, sadness, vainglory, and pride.

Fr. John Paul Le, O.S.B., has been a monk of Mount Angel Abbey for 13 years. Along with his various assignments, he teaches Monastic Sources at Mount Angel Seminary and to the novices (new monks) in the monastery.

Cost:
$270 Single
$380 Couple
$115 Commuter per person

Registration: Please email for information

2 Become 1
A Retreat to Explore the Beauty
and Truth of Catholic Marriage

for Married and Engaged Couples, Co-Sponsored by Mount Angel Abbey and the Archdiocese of Portland

Features Fr. Matt Libra, Patricia Mackie, LPC, Br. Louis de Montfort, O.S.B., and your marriage!

September 1-3, 2023

A retreat from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on your one true vocation, the vocation of marriage. For engaged and married couples, this weekend will offer you opportunities to pray together, learn together, play together, and grow together. God has created this sacred sacrament and called you to it. On this weekend you will be invited to discern your current state of life, and listen and respond to God’s call and invitation to allow him into this Holy calling. This weekend is focused on learning how to respond to God’s call to marital holiness, you will review a personalized inventory of your relationship, and have quiet moments for prayer, reflection, and discussion.

This weekend qualifies for Marriage Preparation for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Check with your individual parish for specific requirements.

Cost: $550 – Couple (includes room and board for 2 nights, meals, and speaker fees)

For registration, email retreat@mtangel.edu.

2 Become 1

A couple rushes out the door hurrying to finish dishes and shuttle children to sports, the husband rushes one way, while the wife dashes the other. They return home tired, collapse on the couch, turn on the TV, scroll through social media, or return to their phone to complete one more to do item. They cannot recall the last time they actually shared an intimate evening, bared their soul to one another, and felt completely seen.

Another couple is in the thick of wedding planning. They are choosing menu items and completing guest lists. The dress is waiting; the tux is waiting, and they have been fighting about everything.

If any of these statements seem true to you, check out this 2 Become 1 Marriage and Marriage Prep retreat at Mount Angel Abbey.

This retreat is a response to prayer. I asked God what he wanted, what was the message. The response I heard was to share the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of his Church. The message was to remind couples they are not alone in their walk of holy matrimony, that a sacrament has God at the center and he wants to be invited.

The first question for me was Lord, how do I show them your beauty, where do I begin. God has given us beauty, nature, art, music, prayer, and Mount Angel Abbey is a place where you can experience them all. Then there is truth. We have to share the truth with one another. We have learned what makes marriages last and thrive, and the addition of attachment theory over the past 15 years helps us to understand why. This retreat will offer the truth about human relationships and the sacredness of marriage. Finally, we have goodness, found in the hidden life of families, and monks. The monks spend hours in prayer for our souls, for the conversion of hearts, and asking for the mercy of God the Father. Families spend hours in prayer, training and raising up souls, and offering one another mercy and forgiveness. Come and encounter truth, goodness, and beauty at Mount Angel Abbey.

The retreat includes two tracks, one for engaged couples, and one for married couples. The retreat fee includes meals, and lodging in the new guesthouse. You will listen to talks by Fr. Matt Libra, Br. Louis Nguyen, OSB, theologian Lynda Olsen, and counselor Patricia Mackie. The weekend will offer you ample time to sit in silence with one another and pray. Come and experience Benedictine hospitality.

– Patricia Mackie

Visit Every Day Counseling website for more information.

Thriving in Rural Ministry

A retreat for priests hosted by Catholic Rural Life

June 6-10, 2022

Retreat Description: Thriving in Rural Ministry is a 5-day retreat for priests who serve in rural ministry. The retreat format provides the opportunity for spiritual renewal, a rich discussion about challenges and best practices in rural and multiple parish ministry, a personalized leadership tool, an understanding of integral ecology, as well as fellowship and fraternity with brother priests serving rural communities. Thriving in Rural Ministry is a unique retreat program that focuses specifically on the needs of priests in rural parishes. The retreat is designed to renew pastors and help them revitalize their communities. By attending this retreat, priests become a part of a growing network of alumni who collaborate, support, and encourage one another in their ministry.

The retreat runs Monday afternoon through Friday Morning. This retreat is open to priests only.

Cost: $700, Scholarships available through the St. John Vianney Fund and Travel Reimbursement available to priests from mission dioceses through Catholic Home Missions

To Register or for more information: catholicrurallife.org/thriving-in-rural-ministry/

Questions: Please Contact Tim@CatholicRuralLife.org

“Doorways to the Soul”

A Sacred Collage Art & Prayer Retreat
with Val Hornburg & Bill Zuelke

August 26-28, 2022

Retreat Description:
Join us on a pilgrimage of the soul as we use a no-fail form of collaging to create personal icon-like cards to help navigate our ever-changing lives. We will weave together personal prayer, deep reflection, creative no-fail arts and the beauty and peace of Mt. Angel Abbey to create a weekend full of grace.

Retreat Master:
Val Hornburg is a trained Spiritual Director, SoulCollage® Facilitator and Labyrinth Facilitator and loves offering sacred retreat and creative expression experience for people of all faiths. As a Spiritual Director, Val loves to offer companionship to people on their spiritual journeys finding herself often in the company of those facing difficult life transitions or critical health journeys. In love with all things soul-filled and creative, I accompany people on their heart & soul journeys. I’m a Spiritual Director, SoulCollage® and Labyrinth Facilitator, retreat & workshop leader specializing in creative expression.

Cost: $475 per person. (Limited partial scholarships are available. Contact Val Hornburg for information.)

Registration:
For more information or to register for this retreat please contact Bill Zuelke at billzuelkevn@gmail.com or 971-352-2090.

Ignatian Training Retreat

With Bill Zuelke

August 29 – September 4, 2022

Retreat Description:
The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: A personal Journey and a Training Experience. This retreat is designed for people who have made the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in the past and who have a desire to share this experience with others. Join Bill Zuelke on this deep dive into the dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises.

Retreat Master:
Bill Zuelke is a Spiritual Director, life coach, and an associate staff member of Soul Formation. He provides spiritual direction, adult education, retreats, workshops, supervision, and consultations for churches, social agencies, and individuals through his private practice.

Bill has a degree in philosophy from Gonzaga University (1976) an M.Div. from Boston College (1981) and an M.S. in pastoral counseling from Loyola University, Baltimore (1985). He is trained in Jesuit spirituality and discernment of spirits and has been providing individual spiritual direction, private and group retreats, and assistance with personal and corporate discernment for over 35 years. Bill has worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor, a trained supervisor, and a certified Life Coach. He will be working alongside a team of spiritual directors who will be available for one-on-one spiritual directions.

Cost: $1,450 per person. (Limited partial scholarships are available. Contact Bill Zuelke for information.)

Registration:
For more information or to register for this retreat please contact Bill Zuelke at billzuelkevn@gmail.com or 971-352-2090.