Calendar of Retreats

G-U-I-DANCE (G-od U (and) I DANCE):

Transitioning from Meditation to Contemplation with
Sts. Teresa of Avila & John of the Cross

A silent retreat with Fr. Thomas Koller, O.C.D.

During this retreat we will discuss and also take time to practice what St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila) and St. John of the Cross teach about preparing oneself for the gift of contemplation. (Hint: You can’t do it yourself. You must be invited to the dance!)

Fr. Thomas Koller has been a Discalced Carmelite brother of the Province of California for almost 40 years, and has been working with prayer groups for almost as long. He is currently the rector and student master at the Carmelite House of Studies in Mt. Angel, Oregon, and teaches Johannine literature and Carmelite mystics and spirituality at Mount Angel Seminary.

Recommended readings: St. Teresa of Jesus. Collected Works of St. Teresa. Volume II. Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 2006. (The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle); the electronic collection of key passages from St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, “The Difficult Transition from Meditation to Contemplation according to St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross.”

For registration, email the retreat master or call 503.845.3025.

$235 single occupancy / $385 double occupancy

(Early registration on Wednesday and Thursday is available)

Reflections on Adoration of the Holy Eucharist in the writings of St. Peter Julian Eymard and Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the writings of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade.

With Elizabeth Farley, S.T.D. and Rev. Jacob Stronach, O.S.B.

(Open to men and women.)

$194 single occupancy / $326 double / $88 commuter

Learn more

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

The Communion of Saints–Living with the Saints

Silent Retreat with Abbot Peter Eberle, O.S.B.

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exultate, Pope Francis writes of the importance of saints in our lives. In this retreat Abbot Peter, drawing from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation and other sources, will reflect on the role of the saints in our individual lives and in the life of the Church, i.e., the Communion of Saints.

Abbot Peter Eberle is a Benedictine monk of Mount Angel who first made vows in 1962, was ordained in 1968, and spent several years in Sacred Heart parish in Portland before going to school in Ottawa in 1970-1972 (STL degree) and in Rome from 1973-1976 (STD degree). In the years after his return, he served in the community as novice master, prior, faculty member in the seminary, and as Abbot from 1988-1997. Abbot Peter presently works as a full-time Formation Director and teaches at Mount Angel Seminary.

Recommended readings: Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation, “Gaudete et Exultate.”

For registration, email the retreat master or call 503.845.3025.

$235 single occupancy / $385 double occupancy

(Early registration on Wednesday and Thursday is available)

WHAT IS FREEDOM FOR?
Lessons from Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Retreat Master: Fr. Stephen Rowan, Ph.D.

Shakespeare (1564-1616) was a keen observer of human behavior, whose plays continue to give wise insights into human motives, actions, and consequences. Shakespeare’s Macbeth concerns a man whose ambition to be king caused him and his wife to seek the prize of ultimate power above – and outside – the law. When they freely chose to achieve their purpose through crime and cover up, what happened to them? What did they discover about the reach and the limits of power? What can we learn from their story about the purposes of freedom?

In this retreat we will consider these and other questions through several talks and times for reflection, conversation, and prayer. Ideally, retreatants should read Macbeth before the retreat and bring a copy with them to consult between talks.

Retreat Master

Father Stephen Rowan, Ph.D., a priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle (incardinated in 1981) has served since 1970 as a teacher of English and college administrator: Dean of Arts and Sciences at Seattle University (1994-1998) and the University of Portland (2007-2012); interim Dean of Arts and Sciences at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington (2015-2016); and Interim President of Carroll College in Helena, Montana (2000-01 and 2017-18). Fr. Rowan has served the Archdiocese of Seattle as Vicar for Education and Superintendent for Catholic Schools (2001-04 and 2012-14); as Director of Deacon Formation and Continuing Formation of Clergy; and as Vicar General (2004-2006). In 2002, he assisted Archbishop Brunett in establishing the Fulcrum Foundation (2001-2008) for Catholic Schools. Fr. Rowan received his doctorate in English from the University of British Columbia and an honorary doctorate from Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, has authored several books and articles, and has presented at conferences, retreats, and convocations. He presently lives in Silverton, Oregon, and teaches at Mount Angel Seminary.

For registration, email the retreat master or call 503.845.3025.

$234 single occupancy / $406 double occupancy / $128 commuter

* The opportunity to extend your retreat experience may be available at $90 per night; please ask when registering for availability.

The Mystery of the Father’s Love: The Return of the Prodigal, Beloved Son

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

The greatest gift of all time and history is the revelation of God and his very being: a communion of three Persons in an endless, eternal dance of unfathomable love. As human persons, we are created for and called to participate in this Divine communion. Much has been written on the Second and Third Persons, the Son and the Holy Spirit respectively, who seem more tangible and perceptible to the human mind and senses. The First Person of the Trinity, the Father, however, is far more enigmatic even though he is the principle of all things and his presence is ever pervasive. In this retreat, we will delve into Sacred Scriptures to discover the mystery of the Father and encounter his boundless love and compassion. The retreat will encompass the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Genesis story of the Prodigal Adam, and the return of the Beloved Son on Calvary. From these stories, the depth of human misery is revealed; yet, even this is far surpassed by the greater revelation of the Father’s inexhaustible love. Encounter God through the Father’s Love.

Recommended reading: The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming, by Henri Nouwen

For registration, email the retreat master or call 503.845.3025.

$235 single occupancy / $385 double occupancy

(Early registration on Wednesday and Thursday is available)

“Busy with the Lord:
The Epiphany Season Liturgies that most of us miss”

Reflections and meditations on Advent, with Br. Cyril Drnjevic, O.S.B.

This retreat will build on the graduate studies (in Rome and at Mount Angel Seminary) of the Advent and Christmas seasons, prepared by Fr. Joseph Nguyen, O.S.B., a monk of Mount Angel Abbey.

$194 single occupancy / $326 double / $88 commuter

For information on retreat registration, please email retreat@mtangel.edu.

Scripture Retreat

A silent retreat with Scripture scholar, Dr. Mark Nussberger, PhD

For registration, email the retreat master or call 503.845.3025.

$235 single occupancy / $385 double occupancy

(Early registration on Wednesday and Thursday is available)