Retreats

Ards Friary Programme of Retreats 2023

24 - 26 February Bereavement 1

Facilitator: Fr. Philip Baxter

24 - 26 February Lenten Retreat

Things That Matter - A weekend retreat at the beginning of Lent

Facilitator: Philip McParland

3-5th March St Francis and the Earth Community.

Over these three days we will explore the life of St Francis, what we mean by the Earth Community, and those contributing to it, in order to discern what changes we can make in our own lives that will contribute to the building of a community that includes the Earth.

Facilitators: Fr Philip Baxter and Bro. Ade Green

12 March - 8 April 28 Day Retreat

Maximum 4 people

Facilitator: Fr. Philip Baxter

17 - 19 March Bereavement II

Facilitator: Fr. Philip Baxter

24 - 26 March Cursillo

14 - 16 April The Sanctuary

21- 23 April Bosco McColgan

Private Retreat

5 - 7 May 2023 Woodlands as Communities

Over the course of this three day workshop you will look at some basic Woodland Ecology, and be guided through the woodlands of Ards to discover some of the lessons they have for the ways in which we live in our communities. You will also have time to reflect on how to integrate and implement these lessons into your own day-to-day relationships and activities.

Facilitators: Bro. Ade Greene

12 - 14 May Christian Mindfulness:

Mindfulness in the Christian tradition is a foundational prayer practice since ancient times. First employed by the earliest monastics as a way of stabilising the mind and heart in the awareness of the Divine Presence it invites us into a deep spirit of recollection that allows us to live from the “Sacrament of the Present Moment”. This retreat will invite you to practice the presence of God in each moment and with every breath, offering teachings and techniques from the great masters of Christian prayer.

12 - 17 May BioSpiritual Retreat.

5-Day Guided BioSpiritual Focusing Silent Retreat
In this silent guided retreat, we will explore the practice of BioSpiritual Focusing as based on the work of Eugene Gendlin and further developed by Frs. Pete Campbell and Ed McMahon. Participants will attend morning group sessions of learning and discussion, and each afternoon, will meet one-on-one with a Focusing Companion. There will be evening sessions for discussions, providing observations and opportunities for questions regarding the process of BioSpiritual Focusing. As you participate in this life-giving and life-changing experience over the course of the 5 days, you will become more and more aware of the sacred story you carry in your own body and the movement of grace in your life.

Facilitated by: Fr Philip Baxter, John Keane (International Director of the BioSpiritual Institute) and the Ards Team.

19 - 21 May Engaging with the Earth Crisis

Over these three days, we would like to create a space where you can explore the impact of the Earth Crisis on your own emotional, mental, spiritual and physical life. This will be done through small community sharing, time in nature, and introductions to useful practices like Mindfulness and Biospirituality.

Facilitators: Fr. Philip Baxter, Bro Ade Green. John Keane

11-15 June Interdiocesan Retreat

“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection” (Heb 12:2)
In the spirit of the Synod, the intention of the retreat will be to walk with the Risen Lord, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, listening to him with hearts aflame with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Facilitator: Fr. Silvester O’Flynn

16 - 18 June Annie Deery

23-25 June An Introduction to Contemplative Ecology

The change in our climate, the loss of the diversity of life on Earth, the extinction of many species, along with advances in physics, evolutionary biology and ecology, have led many to begin to reconsider our place in the cosmic reality we, in the Christian tradition, call creation. This is challenging, scary, exhilarating and ultimately vital for the future of all life.
This retreat will introduce the fundamental theory and practises of what many are now calling Contemplative Ecology. The wisdom that moves us towards an ever deeper life, growing in awareness of our entanglement in creation, and allowing tend and keep paradise, our common home. Our hope for this weekend is that you will be inspired and leave with a deeper sense of your own place within this vast and beautiful creation, and grounded in the Incarnation, so embody it in your local communities.

Facilitators: Fr. Philip Baxter, Bro Ade Greene

8 - 13 July Benedictine Men’s Retreat

Guided by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint Joseph.
These five-day retreats are a shortened form of the full Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The Exercises are a synthetic and practical presentation of the central truths of the Catholic faith - God, the meaning of life, the eternal destiny of mankind, the life of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race - in the form of meditations, examination of conscience and prayers, to find peace of heart, rid oneself of worldly attachments and discover the will of God for the salvation of the soul. On the purely practical level, the day consists of 4 or 5 talks given by one or other of the two priests who are guiding the retreat. After each talk there is time for private prayer, and then free time to converse with the priests. There is of course daily Mass and Rosary, as well as opportunity for Confession.
Daily Mass is generally offered according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Priest/ retreatants, celebrate Mass privately according to the form of their choice.
Commences: 5:30pm (Supper)

Contact: Monks of St Joseph Abbey - Fax 00 333 80 962529, Email: spiritualexercises@clairval.com
Or Ards Friary Tel: 074 913 8909; Email: info@ardsfriary.ie

25 - 29 August Wild Spirituality

25 - 29 August Matt Talbot

The Matt Talbot Retreat is intended specifically for people recovering from alcoholic addiction. Contact Patsy 0044 771 287 1870, Mickey 0044 776 453 35588, Jim 0044 785 048 2282 Email: patsybrogan@hotmail.co.uk

1 - 3 September Annie Deery

3 - 7 September Silent Retreat

Facilitators: Fr. Brendan McManus SJ & Fr. Philip Baxter OFM (Cap)

8th -10th September 2023 Engaging with the Earth Crisis

Over these 3 days, we would like to create a space where you can explore the impact of the Earth Crisis on your own emotional, mental, and physical life. This will be done through small community sharing, time in nature, and introductions to useful practices like Mindfulness and Biospirituality.

Facilitators: Fr. Philip Baxter, Bro Ade Green. John Keane

15 - 17 September Bereavement Part I

For many of us, the loss of a loved one is a difficult experience to live with. Life is unable to continue in the same way after our loss.

Over these two weekends, you will explore where you are on your grief journey - acknowledging that each person’s journey on this road is different. We will use the safe and gentle process of BioSpiritual Focusing (prior knowledge not required) to sense into how we can continue our journey in a way that honours our loss and frees us from the barriers that often interfere with the grieving process.
Facilitators: Fr. Philip Baxter & John Keane

6 - 8 October Bereavement Part II

19 - 22 Cursillo Men’s Retreat

9 - 12 November Cursillo Women’s Retreat

17 - 19 November Walking with the Mystics:

A mystic is often defined as someone who lives from an experiential knowledge of the Divine. In this retreat we will encounter some of the great mystics of our tradition both male and female and see how we may integrate their insights into our own day to day lives to enrich our own spirituality and identify the inner mystic longing for the presence of God in our own hearts.

Facilitator: Fr. Philip Baxter