(The peaceful retreat of "St. Patrick's Purgatory" or Lough Derg, in Donegal)

A silent retreat with Our Lord brings marvelous benefits. The Irish have been doing it for centuries at places like the island above...and St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote his incomparable "Spiritual Exercises" so that his priests could preach retreats all over the world.

One Jesuit, in the early part of the last century, fulfilled his vocation by doing just that: traveling the world preaching retreats. His name was Father Browne. In his spare time, however, he did something unique: he took pictures of everything he saw. Many years after his death, 40,000+ photos were found in a trunk belonging to the Jesuits, and now people recognize their artistic and historic value. You can see some of his work at: www.fatherbrowne.com. The prints are pricey, but you can find book collections of his photos on Amazon.

But I digress. The word "retreat" has come to mean a time of rest and relaxation, perhaps a time for "the girls" to get together and chit-chat or for "the guys" to go hunting and fishing. But the original meaning was for a man or woman, lay or clerical, to retreat from the world and its cares, concerns and attachments, to spend time with Jesus. And these retreats are still available in a few places....

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini writes:

"A spiritual retreat now and again is a necessity for our souls which are destined to climb the mountain of perfection...'I will lead my beloved into the solitude, and there I will speak to her, heart to heart.'  Jesus Christ Himself frequently retired alone into the mountains and into the quiet Garden of Olives to converse with His Eternal Father in the silence of the night...It is in Retreat that...one acquires the spirit of interior prayer so sublime and rich with merits, for it is the interior spirit that raises up at every moment and in every work to God."

After a 10-day retreat, Mother Cabrini had these final encouraging words to write back home:

"But I must tell you that besides coming out of the Retreat feeling very well as to personal advancement, I had also the pleasure of seeing the [other retreatants] also much better and much more enriched with precious gifts from [Jesus], Who, pleased with the fragrant odor of their holy resolutions, seemed to surround them with a beautiful white cloud, with a shadow of His Holy Humanity, so much so, that I thought I was with heavenly creatures instead of with poor earthly pilgrims."