A quiet day or retreat offers time and space to reflect, step aside from our busy lives and deepen our prayer and spiritual lives. The Quiet Garden Movement and The Retreat Association have directories of places where individuals and groups can spend time. Click on the logos for the websites.
Helping you explore and deepen your relationship with God through retreats
A network of beautiful gardens and outdoor spaces for prayer, stillness, contemplation and an appreciation of the natural world. Sharing outdoor space for wellbeing and the inner journey.
Many meetings organise a local quiet day. This can be a very good way to include your occasional visitors and any interested enquirers. They are not difficult to organise. The Retreat Association has a variety of extremely helpful downloadable free leaflets. Usually the format is something like this:
- Arrivals and refreshments
- Introductions and the usual housekeeping notices as appropriate for the venue
- Lead in to the first silence with a gathered silence.
- Extended silence where people can ‘do their own thing’ as long as it is a quiet pursuit. Many people bring art or crafts.
- Lunch – usually packed lunches or bring and share. May be silent.
- Lead in to afternoon gathered silence.
- Silence
- Refreshments (usually a talkative, sociable time)
- The day may be closed with a short time of shared prayer, such as evening prayer, or an agape (which is a sharing of bread and wine/grape juice with appropriate blessings). The Grace is often shared to close the meeting.
If you have questions about organising a quiet day or if you want to advertise a JM event on our website and social media please contact our National Co-ordinator.