PRAYERFUL PLACES

SUMMER 2022

At These Retreat Centers in the Archdiocese of New York, Hearts are Healed and Souls Rejuvenated

OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, since March 2020, we’ve spent a lot of time chafing over the need for isolation. People weren’t talking much about “getting away from it all.” They wanted to go out and do something, spend time shoulder to shoulder with others at a ballgame, a Broadway musical, a family holiday.

Gradually, for the most part, our wishes have been granted. People are back in circulation. And yet, for many, the return to social life is not enough. There’s a need to connect with something meaningful. After so many months of frustration and uncertainty, we need some quiet time with the Lord.

Fortunately, there are numerous Catholic retreat centers in New York state that provide the space – and, if requested, the spiritual guidance – for just such an encounter. These facilities, often located amid bucolic splendor and panoramic views, offer visitors the chance to spend a few hours, a day, or a week in meditation, prayer, hiking, and other centering activities. On the grounds you will find chapels, gardens, gazebos, statues of saints, and in some cases swimming pools and dining rooms serving fresh organic cuisine. Programs range from Ignatian guided retreats to classes in quilting, yoga, and creative writing.

But there’s no need to book a program. You’re free to come and savor the silence on a private retreat. Just don’t be shocked if you begin to sense Jesus’ presence.
 

ON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

There’s a sort of hidden message inside the name of the order of Franciscan friars and sisters who live at Graymoor, a monastic compound spread across 400 breathtakingly beautiful acres on the aptly named “Holy Mountain” in Garrison. In 1893, Fr. Paul Wattson, an Episcopal minister devoted to restoring unity among Christian sects, saw the word atonement in Romans 5:11, and read it as “at-one-ment.” In 1898, with Sr. Lurana White, Fr. Wattson co-founded the Society of the Atonement; a key part of its charism would be to pray for a reunification of Christians under the Holy See. In 1909, its members were received into the Catholic Church.

A century later, the Holy Mountain Franciscan Retreat Center offers retreatants a place to seek at-one-ment on a more personal level: to become at one with the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, with creation itself, and with our own spiritual journeys, whatever trails they may lead us on.

And trails there are, for those inclined to find God in nature – miles of them, including the Appalachian Trail, which crosses the property on its way from Georgia to Maine. There are also grottoes and shrines and chapels and lodgings, countless places where a pilgrim might stop to pray.

“I truly believe it is a Holy Mountain,” says Deacon Tom Rich, SA, the center’s newly appointed director, who first visited Graymoor as a teenager. “That’s why I kept coming back.”

Back in 1910, Fr. Wattson founded St. Christopher’s Inn on the side of the Holy Mountain to lodge homeless men who came to the friary seeking housing and food. This began a tradition of the Holy Mountain as a place of retreat and healing. Today, St. Christopher’s Inn – which began as a simple log structure built by its residents – provides residential treatment for hundreds of men in recovery every year. It’s a vitally important ministry – but only one piece of what’s happening on the mountain.

Up the hill from St. Christopher’s, the Retreat Center serves as the hub for Graymoor’s array of retreats and other events. These include Simplicity Saturdays, one-day guided retreats with titles like “Sacred Planet: Story of Faith and the Cosmos” and “God in All Things: A Pilgrimage Through Ignatian Spirituality”; Days of Recollection, tailored to meditation at Lent, Advent, and other seasons; and a variety of pilgrimages and special events throughout the year. 

Those who prefer self-guided reflection are welcome at Graymoor as well. Private retreats can be booked for one, two, or three days Tuesdays through Fridays. In addition, all are welcome from dawn to dusk to visit the grounds, walk the trails, and say a prayer at the shrines and chapels. Mass is offered Sundays at 11 a.m., reconciliation Mondays at 2 p.m.

For information or to book a retreat, visit atonementfriars.org/holy-mountain-franciscan-retreat-center.
 

PRAISING CREATION

Early in the morning of a late spring day, chef Anthony George of the Center at Mariandale is inspecting the organic kitchen garden alongside Sr. Bette Ann Jaster, OP, the retreat center’s environmental programs specialist. Amid the flourishing bean bushes and herb patches, Sr. Jaster points out a bird’s nest with one tiny blue egg cradled in the foliage of a raspberry bush. In the background: the sweeping grounds, the main retreat building, a medium-size swimming pool, a row of maples and oaks, and the broad waters of the Hudson beneath a rising mist.

In this 61-acre microcosm of the glory of God’s creation situated on the east bank of the Hudson in Ossining, the Dominican Sisters of Hope have established a corridor of land protected by a conservation easement that will prevent it from being developed in perpetuity. Along with the adjacent Crawbuckie Nature Preserve, this guarantees that a full mile of Hudson River shoreline will remain in a natural state. That’s good for the planet, and a wonderful perk for guests at Mariandale.

The center’s Nature Trail passes gardens, grottoes, a Native American healing hut, and Mariandale’s labyrinth. Retreatants with an environmental bent can request a tour of the center’s ecological bounty, including the bee garden, the bluebird houses, and some of the unique trees and other plantings on the property. Sr. Jaster can explain how to walk the labyrinth and how best to navigate the narrow entryway to the healing hut.

For guests at Mariandale, this can all be part of their morning stroll. Then there are the programs. “They are many and diverse,” says Executive Director Carl Procario-Foley, “covering topics from the roots of racism to the spirituality of Thomas Merton and the care of the earth.”

This summer, Mariandale will offer a pair of week-long retreats on the intersection of science and theology. There are also programs, ranging from an hour or two to a full week, for artists, writers, quilters, and yoga enthusiasts. In the Art of Iconography Retreat, Fr. Peter Pearson will share his knowledge of Byzantine-style icons – and teach program participants to paint one. And for those who seek a solo retreat for meditation, prayer, and healing, with or without spiritual guidance provided by the sisters, Mariandale sets aside a week each month to accommodate them. 

Peace be with you.

For information or to book a retreat, visit mariandale.org.
 

SUMMER CAMP FOR THE SOUL

In 1924, when the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine became stewards of a 40-acre farm in Rockland County, it fulfilled a dream of their founder. Mother Marianne of Jesus and her small but growing congregation lived among poor immigrants in New York City, serving them spiritually and materially. The sisters prayed for a place in the country where they could give immigrant children a chance to experience nature, learn about Jesus, and escape the heat and poverty of their neighborhoods. When a benefactor offered them the farm, they rejoiced. In 1927, the sisters opened Marydell Camp, which operated for decades as a sleepaway summer camp for girls, complete with cows and horses and vegetable gardens.

In 1990, Marydell Camp became the Marydell Faith Life Center. Sr. Veronica Mendez, RCD, a member of the center’s executive board, helped to operate the camp in its last decade. Today, sisters and lay staff continue to provide outdoor educational programs for children while also pursuing a broader mission: “to share the natural majesty of our land above the Hudson with people of all faiths,” welcoming individuals and groups for “educational and recreational programs, spiritual retreats, and environmental encounters.”

In 2017, the sisters transferred 30 acres of the original farm to the New York State Land Trust to ensure its preservation as undeveloped park land adjoining Hook Mountain State Park. Retreatants can access hiking trails on the mountain – the second-highest summit in the Hudson Palisades – or stroll down to Nyack Beach State Park, on the banks of the Hudson River. Those who prefer porch-sitting can relax at the Reflection Center, set at the top of a sloping meadow with sweeping views of the river to the east.

Spiritual guidance is also on offer from the sisters, who lead centering prayer sessions as well as week-long retreats focused on prayer, meditation, and the graces of nature. Naturalist-led programs can be arranged around themes like monarch butterfly migration or the names and characteristics of native tree species.

Like many religious congregations, the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine have handed off a considerable part of their work to a lay board and staff – but their Christian love still surrounds Marydell like an aura that enfolds all guests regardless of faith or cultural background. “Whatever they want to call it,” Sr. Veronica says, “people who stay with us leave with a blessing from God.”  

For information or to book a retreat, visit marydell.org.

Click below for more information and links to archdiocesan retreat centers.