What Spiritual Retreats Do Folks Recommend?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JackPaul
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JackPaul

Guest
Recently at a study group that I attend, we had a speaker come in to solicit a Crusillo retreat. It seemed to be a very good weekend to help overcome hurdles of dryness. Anyone have any comment about these retreats? Are there any others that people recommend? Marriage encounters are the only other retreats that I know of that are offered to the laity.
 
Well, I see that you are in Colorado and I don’t know if this movement has made it there or not. But this past March at the beginning of Lent, I attended an ACTS Women’s retreat. It was the most awesome experience of my life. I’ve never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit like I did that weekend. It made for an unbelievable Lenten season for me. I truly believe it resulted in me truly coming into the fullness of our faith. My prayer life has improved tremedously, I attend daily Mass as often as possible now. I’ve become actively involved in my parish. The ACTS Sisters and Brothers are an awesome support system.

The home base for ACTS is in San Antonio, Texas and they have a website. The people are absolutely wonderful and help parishes all over the country get ACTS started in their parishes. I am told that it is based similarly to the Cursillo retreats.

In July, I was chosen to work on the ACTS retreat team and if anything could be better than the retreat itself, it was being able to share the experience and give back to others what had been given to me.
 
The Spiritual Exercises are good. Based on St. Ignatius. I’ve attended them w/ Legionaries preaching. —KCT
 
I think I remember answering this not too long ago, maybe it was about retreat centers. I make a week-long directed retreat each year with the Jesuits, silence except for Mass, LOTH and daily meeting with director. Key word is silence.
 
I am an intensely private person and an introvert, so retreats like “cursillo”, and their like (koinonia, tec, and others) would be inappropriate for me. So, what I do is go on silent retreats, either directed or nondirected. That is where I have seen the most spiritual growth. For example, my 3-week annual vacation last month included a 10 day silent nondirected retreat at a contemplative monastery.
 
Thank you all for sharing. I don’t think that ACTS is available in our area, though I don’t know this for sure. I think that a silent retreat would drive me crazy. Our priiest often attends silent retreats and he said the first day or two are really hard, but after that you get very acclimated to the silence. The return to the world is every bit as hard as the beginning of the retreat. I think that we will start with marriage encounter and then I will look for something more.

Again, thanks for your reply, these questions may hve been asked but when I searched for them, I didn’t find anything.Maybe I searched on the wrong thing.

Peace
 
Cusillo is excellent if you live in an area or diocese where it is done right. There is an emphasis on evangelization and there are excellent opportunities for learning more about the Catholic faith, how to live it and how to share it.

It does require a a certain commitment. It isn’t just about a “weekend,” there are follow up “groupings” (weekly, or so, small groups), Ultreyas (usually monthly with all cursillistas). The commitment is to meeting with others to support each other in the faith.

Go here for more info.

ETA there are retreats called Koinonia (sp?) I think it’s a little lighter weight with less commitment.
 
Thanks for the info. We had a guest speaker talk about the Crusillo and he had the same comments. He seemed to be such a strong witness of the faith that I think we were all ready to attend because of him. But, I am glad to hear some feedback from others.
Peace
 
I’ve had good experiences with both Legionary and Opus Dei retreats (although the groups are controversial…but need not be). Both do silent retreats.
 
40.png
FelixBlue:
I’ve had good experiences … Opus Dei retreats .
Click to expand...
Annunciata:)
 
I just attended an ACTS Retreat this weekend! WOW!!! Talk about enlightening! I understand the ACTS are loosely based on Cursillas, except they are parish based, and allow non Catholics to attend. We had a non denominational minister at ours. It was very emotional watching him as he overcame his anti-catholic prejudices. When he said a “Hail Mary” the last day in front of all the other retreatants, it was exhilirating!

NotWorthy
 
I have attended both the Cursillo and ACTS retreats. Both of them are outstanding! There are some differences in the retreats, but there are also many similarities.

Attending a Cursillo 5 years ago is what “turned the lightbulb on” for me, having been a cradle catholic who really did not know and love my faith before the retreat.

For me, I felt that the Cursillo spoke more directly to my intellect, allowing me to understand where I was, where I needed to be, and how God was leading me closer to Him. The retreat provided me with a clear method on how to continue to build my faith and share this with others. I then experienced a growing heartfelt love of God that continues to grow. It was without a doubt the most powerful lifechanging experience I have ever had.

ACTS, on the other hand, spoke more directly to my heart, with the experience then moving into my head. I’m not sure if this had anything to do with attending the retreat after Cursillo. There is more flexibility in the ACTS retreat, but in essence it grew out of Cursillo and continues to have many of the same elements. One aspect of ACTS that has impressed me is the visible effect that it has had in transforming our parish. There is an incredible increase in the sense of community in our parish, the building of relationships, increasing stewardship, and strenthening of families.
As the retreat reaches out further, attracting more parishoners who have for the most part sat on the sidelines of parish life, I have continued to see the metanoia occur in awesome ways.
The retreat program is spreading like wildfire in St. Louis.

If your parish/diocese does not yet have an ACTS retreat program, you might want to consider contacting ACTS missions. (actsmissions.org) We got our retreat started with their help.

If you are looking for an experience that only begins on the retreat weekend but contiues to grow for the rest of your life, you will enjoy either retreat.

Peace in Christ
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top