In 2018 the International School Retreat (28th April- 5th May) will be held at the Minsteracres Retreat Centre which is set in beautiful surroundings in the North East of England, in County Durham. The 110-acre estate has plenty to offer including ancient woodland, pasture, lakes, walks and places for reflection. It is eminently conducive to the contemplative work we will be engaged in. Accommodation is in single rooms with wash hand basins (a good number of bathrooms nearby).
The all-inclusive cost for 7 nights is £565.00. Transport to and from Minsteracres Retreat Centre will be by minibus from either Newcastle airport, Newcastle station or the local station (Riding Mill).
A school retreat is a more intensive retreat and provides a rare opportunity to benefit from the sustained silence and stillness of meditation over an extended period. It is the fifth stage of the WCCM School of Meditation. Participants will already have a regular meditation practice and be familiar with the Essential Teaching of the Community.
It is an opportunity to grow in the silence and stillness of meditation over a week, and participants come to the whole week. They do not arrive late or leave early as this disrupts the group. Each day there are eight sitting meditation sessions, without readings or music, with contemplative walking sessions between them. A short teaching in the morning and a contemplative Eucharist help the silence reach its full potential. Participants also have a daily fifteen-minute one-to-one meeting with one of the retreat leaders.
This is a rare opportunity to go significantly deeper in the work of silence. It is not a time for study or extensive reading. Participants practice a digital fast and do not use phones, emails or computers so that we can be fully present and undistracted together. (There is an emergency number by which we can be contacted).
