Online Retreats

What are Online Retreats?

Online retreats are contemplative exercises that you can do at home. You need a total of three hours a day (which can be spread over the day) for this form of online retreat which will last eight days.

How can I register?

The dates for retreats can be found in the course program of Haus Gries. The Haus Gries Course Programme also gives details of the Online Retreats available (see below this page) with their respective dates and with a questionnaire for registration.

How do Online Retreats work?

After registration, confirmation of registration and transfer of the course fee of EUR 290, you will receive a password. This will give you access to the “Online Retreat” area reserved for participants on the Haus Gries website.

The online retreat includes the following daily elements:

• Meditation exercise instructions for daily prayer
• practical advice on dealing with difficulties in prayer
• a reflection on a basic theme of contemplative prayer
• individual accompaniment via zoom or telephone. This daily one-to-one conversation will be up to 25 minutes with P. Joachim Hartmann SJ.

What are the special features of the retreat?

The online retreat is simple and gives you the opportunity to make a retreat without leaving your home and daily routine. Using the meditation exercise instructions and spiritual reflections, you will take responsibility for your own individual retreat journey, with the support of an experienced companion for the duration of this retreat.

What can I do to gain full benefit from the retreat?

Since the retreat takes place in the midst of everyday life, you will need to make careful practical arrangements for a daily routine of prayer and silence as well as have a determination to persevere.

Practical preparation:

• Let your family members or roommates know about your retreat plans and agree together on how it might be arranged.
• Create a prayer corner in in a room where you will be able to pray, undisturbed.
• Plan your daily prayer times so that you will be as least disturbed as possible
• Plan time each day for a walk or other exercise

You will need to give your days a clear and definite structure, recognising that on some occasions flexibility will be required.
Because it takes place in the midst of daily life, a challenge and also an opportunity of this retreat is that everyday demands will be incorporated in it. In this way you can experience a spirituality suitable for everyday life.

Daily Retreat Routine:

• Read through the day’s meditation exercise instructions and then follow them in your prayer times
• Read and take time to ponder the reflection on the Contemplative Path theme
• Prepare for your daily one-to-one zoom or telephone ‘accompanying’ conversation by writing down important keywords
• Be ready and available for the agreed time for your conversation
• After the zoom conversation or the phone call, let the conversation linger, making a note of any important points