All
Saints page 7
Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House: A Place to Truly Encounter the Lord
M
odern life is busy. We are so often hurrying from one event or responsibility to the next, never feeling like we have adequate time to accomplish what we are “supposed to” in a day. For many of us, this is what makes the idea of a retreat — particularly a silent one — so daunting. Where on earth can we find the time for such a luxury? How can we possibly stay still and silent for three whole days? Parishioner Al Schneider says this is exactly how he felt about silent retreats until he attended his first one — begrudgingly, he admits — at Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House roughly 30 years ago. “I really went kicking and screaming,” Al says. “I had avoided going for years, and was finally persuaded to go by a fellow who was a retreat captain at our parish back then. But then, after I went that first time you couldn’t have kept me away. It was one of those things that the more often I went, the more often I wanted to go. And I’ve never missed my yearly retreat since.” Parishioner Andrea Popp also initially held some reservations about attending a Montserrat Retreat. A born talker, she wondered how she could possibly remain silent that long. But when she finally agreed to go, she was amazed to discover how easy it was to maintain that silence. “Just like my friend promised, I had no trouble not talking,” Andrea says. “The retreat center consists of 30 acres which you are free to roam around and explore throughout the retreat. That makes it easier not to talk to each other, spending that time instead talking to God and looking inside yourself.” So, while the silent aspect of the retreat is often thought of as a barrier, both Al and Andrea describe it as the great gift of the retreat experience. There in the silence, free from all the noise and distractions of life, retreat participants are able to truly focus their hearts and minds on God, and hear God’s voice in a profound and life-changing manner.
The peaceful grounds at Montserrat, which lend themselves to prayer and reflection
The perfect place to stop and think
“I remember looking up on the stairwell wall while I was walking up the stairs to my room that first time and noticing a sign that said, ‘Listen.’” Al says. “That sign really jumped out to me and it’s what I’ve carried with me year after year — because in that silence, you have time to truly think and be with God.” “When I am either walking the campus at Montserrat or sitting in a chair on the grounds, it is impossible for me not to see God in everything around me — the sky, the water, the clouds, the beauty, even the squirrels, the ducks and continued on back cover
