A Wintering Retreat

Join us for a time of rest and retreat, community and conversation, and play and prayer at the Villa Maria Retreat Center in Pulaski, Pennsylvania, Friday–Sunday, February 2–4. Lean into the simple, slow, and still rhythms of winter. Our retreat schedule will flow naturally with morning, midday, and evening prayers that gather us together and scatter us in time alone; inviting us into community; and sending us into solitude, stillness, and silence.

RSVP to Norma Meyer at 412.441.3800 x211 by Sunday, January 21. Cost Options:

• 1 Night: (Friday–Saturday or Saturday–Sunday) Shared Bath | $70
• 1 Night: (Friday–Saturday or Saturday–Sunday) Private Bath | $110
• 2 Nights (Friday–Sunday) Shared Bath | $85
• 2 Nights (Friday–Sunday) Private Bath | $135

Consider the gift and invitation of winter in the words of Katherine May: “Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight, but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.” (Source: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times)

Here are some reflections of the gift of retreat from others:

This was the perfect opportunity to carve out a space for peace and reflection at the beginning of an always-busy time of year. The combination of solitude and community was exactly what I needed to disengage from my “shoulds” and re-engage with the blessings in my life for which I am deeply grateful. ELPC retreats are a great blend of structured and unstructured time, and that gives each person permission and opportunity to truly customize their experience; and Villa Maria is beautiful during every season.

“I am learning to change obligations, responsibilities into opportunities for which I am grateful. I am so grateful for the silence and beauty of the retreat experience.”

“On retreat at Villa Maria, I can’t help but encounter God; the beauty of its extensive land and woods, and the peace of its indoor spaces are ideal for contemplation. As an introvert, I often forget that I most frequently encounter gratitude in community. I remain grateful to have attended this retreat with this particular community. One practice from the retreat has really expanded my framework: seeing my daily obligations as opportunities. Rather than “having to” get through a daily (or weekly, etc.) to-do list, I “get to” engage in these activities. Simply rewording my obligations has immense power. This practice has made me not only grateful for my daily graces, but has highlighted the privileges I experience routinely. I look forward to the next retreat.”