On Saturday 28th of May, we hosted a retreat at Holy Hill Hermitage in Sligo. The retreat provided an opportunity for come away from the busyness of our everyday lives and the theme of the day was – the ‘Goodness of God’. Participants gathered from Mayo and Sligo. It was a day for spiritual reflection … a quiet day for Christian community, art, music, journaling, creativity, round-table conversations and sharing, story-telling, good food, friendship and fun (laughter is good for the soul). Artists produced beautiful installations on the day. We celebrated all that is good in life! There was also a tour of one of the hermitages. The world we live in frantic … chaotic … and similar to Jesus time, we ‘need to come away to a quiet place by ourselves. Quote – “An exhausted culture needs an alternative to itself – and not an echo chamber”! (Carey Nieuwhof). The church can offer people such an alternative. We learnt from the day at Holy Hill, that being on retreat, is a very effective way of gathering, encouraging and ispiring people in their faith. On Saturday 10th of September, we held a follow-on retreat and this time we reflected on the spiritual practice of ‘Gratitude’. Gratitude as a response to God’s Goodness in our lives. Looking forward to November, we will explore a theme, which has been inspired by a line from a Mary Oliver poem – ‘The Summer Day’. The title for day will be – “Tell me, what is it you plan to do With your one wild and precious life?”
