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Looking for peace
and quiet? Attend
the Ladies’ Silent Retreat at the Visitation
Monastery in Mobile, AL.
I promise you, peace and quiet are as good as
you imagined.
The
Visitation Monastery is located in the heart of Mobile
on Springhill Avenue, but the moment you turn off the
street and pass through the gates of the monastery the
hustle and bustle of the world melts away.
July 12-15,
forty-three women, including myself checked into the
retreat dormitory. Attendees were from as far away as
Baton Rouge, but the predominant representation came
from the greater Pensacola area and Mobile.
Fort Walton and Destin were also nicely
represented.
Silence did not
begin until after dinner of the first night.
After dinner we gathered in the conference room
to meet our Master of Ceremonies, Father Alex
Valladares of Mobile.
Father Alex stood
before us and announced, “I will explain to you the
genius of woman, and the feminine heart as God
intended.” And
with that he revealed to us the treasure-trove of
womanhood that all women possess.
He explained this treasure-trove is the only
place from which the world receives vibrancy, culture,
and peace.
He also
warned us that the true value of women is under attack
everyday. Through
this retreat he successfully armed us to fiercely
defend our feminine hearts.
Of course, good back up is always important to
a good defense. Father
Alex gave us very personal and intimate introductions
to our backup: the
Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of
Jesus.
We also learned
to engage more fully in Mass, and to see the
incomparable beauty of the Eucharist, which ultimately
is our “stairway to heaven.”
Father Alex was
always available for private conferences giving
spiritual guidance about specific individual matters.
He encouraged confession to heal our hearts
that are constantly wounded by the world.
Healing our “woundedness” allowed us to
receive God’s love more deeply.
The key to
absorbing these truths and having them take root in
our hearts is solitude.
Silence was paramount.
The Visitation Monastery creates the perfect
environment for peace and quiet, which naturally leads
you to reflection, meditation, and prayer.
The most
surprising gift of our silence was our communion with
each other. You
read that correctly, I said communion.
I was surprised myself.
How is it that communion was possible?
Firstly, do not
confuse silence with isolation.
We were not isolated from each other.
In fact, we ate all our meals together, sat
through the conferences together, attended Mass
together, recited morning, afternoon, and evening
prayers together, said the Rosary together, and adored
the Eucharist together.
Secondly, all of
these activities are intimate.
Because such intimate activities were conducted
without extraneous talk, all we could see about each
other is what we have in common.
What we have in common is so profound that it
easily transcends family status, economics, age, and
race. A
truly wonderful sisterhood developed among us.
As the retreat
closed, we got an opportunity to meet the sisters who
live at the monastery.
Karen Gallacher, our retreat captain, told us,
“I like to think of the sisters as ‘Prayer
Warriors,’ so if you have something that needs
prayer, ask the sisters.”
Cynthia Brodus summed up everyone’s sentiments by
saying, “the hardest part of the retreat is
leaving.” Ladies’
Silent Retreat: $120,
Souvenirs: $20, Personal Introduction to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
Priceless.
by Patricia Butler |
