Retreat to Papa Stronsay

How often do you think about your soul? How often do you think about your eternal lot? Shall I be saved or shall I be lost? These are some of the most important questions of our lives, but how often do they get neglected or swept away in the speedy current of the waters of life? St Alphonsus, the patron saint of moral theologians, tells us that for he who does not pray, it is morally impossible to be saved. Again says the holy doctor, we can be sure that all those poor souls who are damned to hell for all eternity are there because they did not pray. And the contrary is also true, that all those who enjoy endless bliss in heaven are there because they prayed. Given these truths you would think that everyone would devote large amounts of time each day to prayer. But alas this is not the case - not necessarily through any fault, but simply because the pace of life or the demands of family leave but little if any time to be devoted to the exercise of prayer.

Or perhaps you are a parish priest who, taxed not by the demands of a family, but rather of the parishoners and the general business of the parish find it difficult to get enough time in to complete your Divine Office let alone make meditations, visits to the Blessed Sacrament and spiritual reading.

Whatever your state of life, if this sounds like you then you need a retreat. You need time away from the distractions of the world and of daily life to immerse yourself in silence and solitude in order to talk to God in prayer, to listen to God in spiritual reading and to generally refresh and revitalise your soul so that you can return to the world rejuvenated and ready to continue the battle for your salvation.

On Papa Stronsay you will find the perfect conditions for doing just that. We offer silent retreats for men between the 1^st of May and the 14^th of September. You will be given a cell to be your desert; your solitude comes complete with plenty of spiritual reading with more available if needed. Your meals will be brought to you in your cell by a brother and you will have access to spiritual direction. You will also attend the common acts of prayer performed by the community in the chapel.