SCB Man of Manresa member recalls his first 'real' retreat

Tranquillity - Unhurried retreatants stroll past manicured lawns and sprawling oaks, back to their rooms in St. Mary’s Hall.

Have you ever been on a “real” retreat?

I had been on retreat at Manresa twice before, but in many ways this was my first real retreat. The first two times I went to Manresa - during an era when I unfortunately did not make Christ a part of my life - I had gone at the insistence of my father-in-law. He was ordinarily a man of few words, but when he spoke about Manresa it seemed that the words flowed so freely. He spoke about the beauty of the grounds, the delicious food, the peacefulness, and to my delight at the time, the fact that everything - even the spiritual activity - is optional. He even offered to pay my way.

"OK, OK, OK, I'll go," I said, privately resolving that I'd devote the whole weekend to exercise, sleep, reading, and other such mundane activities.

Beauty - Xavier Hall was once part of Jefferson College, which preceded Manresa. Today, it houses the retreatants’ dining hall, with residences for the priests on the second floor.

Sure enough, once I got to Manresa it was more of a “treat” than a retreat for me. While the other men were praying, I was playing. While they were doing spiritual exercises, I was out jogging. While they were reading about the life of Jesus Christ according to John, I was reading about the life of Ignatius O’Reilly according to John Kennedy O'Toole. While they were growing spiritually, I was growing a beard.

When Sunday afternoon came and the three-day retreat was over, the other men all had the look of newfound peace and wisdom on their faces, while I had nothing but a pitiful three-day stubble on mine.

Comfort - Retreatants are offered 11 lectures in Loyola Hall. Completed in 2001, the building blends nicely with other the other buildings, which go back as far as the 1830’s.

Many years later, my marriage failed terribly and my life took a distinctly different direction. I then married a devout Catholic woman and began to attend Mass with her regularly. I got reacquainted with the Gospel and listened closely to the homilies. I knew there was more to this love, this peace, this forgiveness, and the more I tasted, the more I thirsted for it. As the months and years passed, I recalled the beauty and tranquillity of Manresa and began to wonder what I had so foolishly missed on those two previous retreats.

It was then that I heard about the St. Charles Borromeo Men of Manresa at one of our parish ministry fairs. After attending a few of their monthly meetings, I signed up to go on retreat.

Reflection - Many retreatants are drawn to prayer at the crucifix in Loyola Hall.

When the time came to go to Manresa, I made the most of my retreat. I learned about love, about forgiveness, about sacrifice. I attended the “optional” spiritual activities, I read the Bible, I consulted privately with the priests, and I confessed decades of sin. I spent time alone in the chapels listening to Christ.

It was the most peaceful, satisfying, enriching experience of my life. It was my first - but not my last - “real” retreat.

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