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Spiritual hideaways across the world: recommendations?

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  • 21-02-2010 8:57pm
    #1
    Dionysus
    Registered Users Posts: 3,420 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    There may be a more appropriate forum for this and if so please move it.

    For some time now I've been seriously thinking about escaping to the isolation of a monastic culture for spiritual reasons. It can be any religion; it just must be spiritual. I adore gregorian chant which is why I'm drawn towards monasticism. Last year I was supposed to walk the Camino de Santiago but life intervened once again. I simply need to do it now, or rather must do it from the end of May.

    Felicitously, in yesterday's Irish Times there was an excellent article which opened up a small world of monastic hideaways where pilgrims can stay for a fee every night. I never knew such a service existed so that's a brilliant piece of information:

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2010/0220/1224264850333.html

    I'm wondering has anybody done this, where did you go and how did you find it? Did you stay long? (I'm thinking of going for at least a month, and on my own)

    Where would you recommend in the world? My life is getting dramatically more serious and more settled in the next six months so I have to do this now.

    Thank you.


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    #2
    PDN
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,686 ✭✭✭✭PDN


    The Waldensians have a nice little place in Palermo, Sicily. It's modern and of recent construction - but very peaceful.


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    #3
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    Closer to home there is Glenstal Abey in Co. Limerick. There was also a programme on BB2 (I think) a few years back about people (those with no specific faith to Christians) who went to live in monastic orders over in England (again, I'm not 100% sure). Sorry for being so vague about it; I only caught the very end of the series.


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    #4
    Fanny Cradock
    Registered Users Posts: 10,245 ✭✭✭✭Fanny Cradock


    This might be it!

    http://www.worthabbey.net/bbc/

    I see you can watch it on Youtube.


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    #5
    PDN
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,686 ✭✭✭✭PDN


    Fanny Cradock wrote: »
    Closer to home there is Glenstal Abey in Co. Limerick. There was also a programme on BB2 (I think) a few years back about people (those with no specific faith to Christians) who went to live in monastic orders over in England (again, I'm not 100% sure). Sorry for being so vague about it; I only caught the very end of the series.

    Apparently the cook at Glenstal (Brother Anselm) is a bit of a celebrity chef, and the brother of the actor John Hurt. Totally off-topic, I know, but I couldn't resist adding that wee bit of trivia. :)


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    #6
    Stephentlig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,114 ✭✭✭Stephentlig


    Hi, this is great, I went on a live-in vocation with the melifont abbey cistercian monks in collon, Co.Louth. their regime is the hardest in the Catholic Church, we got up at 3am, prayer at 4am - 5am, then theres morning prayer, mass then there is 7 more prayer sessions througout the day, between which we work for 4 hours on the farm or on monastry grounds, the its bed and lights out at 8:30pm.

    I stayed just over 2 weeks, it is a really nice place for reflection. One of my plans was to go to greece, and stay with the byzantine Catholics but never followed through, there is a place in France but I forget the order and will have to do some research for you.

    the brothers at mellifont take you in for free and feed you for free, for as long as you like, its a great place, and I advise you to go.

    God bless you on your journey, I shall keep you in my prayers, please remember to pm me to let me know how you get or got on.

    Yours in Christ
    Pax Christi
    Stephen.


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    #7
    Stephentlig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,114 ✭✭✭Stephentlig


    PDN wrote: »
    Apparently the cook at Glenstal (Brother Anselm) is a bit of a celebrity chef, and the brother of the actor John Hurt. Totally off-topic, I know, but I couldn't resist adding that wee bit of trivia. :)

    haha I have brother anselms cook book, did some recipies out of it, its very simple and easy to follow, although my wife does not seem to think so. :D


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    #8
    Glenster
    Registered Users Posts: 2,626 ✭✭✭Glenster


    The easiest thing to do is go on the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. There are loads of people on the route and the closer you get to santiago the more little charitable hostels there are to stay in. The retreat is the walk rather than the places you stay.

    There are some great places on the upper Jordan that used to do two or three day retreats but I'm not sure if they're open any more, this is going back six or seven years.


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