Retreat Cabin

A Retreat at Holy Transfiguration Skete

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ.
(Holy Rule, Chapter 53)

Our meager guest facilities only allow us to offer retreats for clergy and men contemplating a vocation to monastic life. These retreats follow no set program of conferences, but, rather, take their form and direction from the daily life of the monastery. They provide the opportunity to experience for a time something of our monastic life. The retreat, then, is marked by the principal features of monastic life itself.

Chief among these is prayer. The retreatant is to attend and, in so far as possible, to participate in all the services celebrated in the monastery chapel. These celebrations of the Divine Office and Divine Liturgy, which ordinarily take up about four hours of each day, are the very heart of monastic life. In liturgical celebration we come into the presence of the Divine as we join with all the angels and saints in praise and worship of God. The Readings and chants of the services set the tone for the whole day and provide abundant material for the meditation and reflection that is always to occupy the mind. In addition to meditation, the retreatant should devote himself to Sacred Reading from Scripture, the Fathers, or some other pious work; he would do well to let the Liturgical prayer of the Church guide his direction in this as well. He may also spend some time in the private devotions to which he is accustomed, the Jesus Prayer, for instance, or the Rosary, or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, etc.

This centering on prayer will be the more easily attained through observance of two other marks of monastic life: solitude and silence. Private prayer may be seen as a personal conversation with God. Personal conversations are best had alone, with no distractions. Thus, during those times he is not engaged in the common prayer or at meals, the retreatant will want to be alone with God, either in the solitude of his hermitage or in the beauty of nature which surrounds the monastery. In the stillness, he will better hear the Lord speaking to him in the silence of his heart.

We hope that, through his time with us, the retreatant comes to share something of the blessings of life in this monastery. The monastery's life is our only retreat program. The Liturgy and Office provide the material for contemplation; silence and solitude provide the environment for its growth. The retreat's goal is the same as that of monastic life, itself: repentance, closeness to God, and openness to His will. Ordinarily, the services, his reading, meditation, and devotions will suffice to encourage this growth in the retreatant; he may also, should he so wish, schedule a private conference with one of the priest-monks of the community.

For the time he is with us, the retreatant is to live as a monk; he therefore obligates himself to a few simple rules for his stay:

  1. He is to attend all the services and common meals. These times together with the monks are what make a retreat here something special; to avoid them is to render the time here pointless.
  2. Modest, comfortable attire is expected. No shorts or sleeveless shirts are permitted during the prayer services or while at the main monastery.
  3. He is to maintain silence. Talking is permitted only at certain times and in certain situations, and in no case should it be mere idle chatter. Likewise, he is not to bring a radio or television with him to the monastery; these are disruptions of silence and carry the world's chaos into the monastic preserve.
  4. He is to remain at the monastery throughout his stay. Walks along the beach or in the adjacent forest are permitted, but any other absence requires permission of the Hegumen, and his blessing upon departure and return.
  5. Our area offers much to interest the sightseer, but this is not something that is part of a retreat. Those interested in touring the Keewenaw should do so before or after their time with us, not while they are resident at the Skete.

We close with a few words about practical matters of arrangements and accommodations:

  1. We currently have one guest facility: a two room cabin with bath, hot and cold water, and gas heat.
  2. The retreatant shares the main meal of the day usually in the evening with the monks. Food will be provided for other lighter meals which may be taken in the hermitage.
  3. A stay of three or four days is optimal. Stays should be timed so as to include a weekend so that the retreatant may participate in the Sunday celebrations, Vespers on Saturday Evening and Matins and Divine Liturgy on Sunday Morning.
  4. We charge no particular fee for time spent in retreat at the monastery, but we gratefully accept donations to help offset our expenses. Generally, $25.00 per day will cover any cost incurred by a retreat.

The life of this monastery is a great source of blessing for us and for the whole world. To those discerning the possibility of monastic life in their future, we extend this opportunity to come and see for themselves. To schedule a visit, please contact us by email.