Features
In retreat
Simon Jones and Alison MacTier
Simon Jones takes some time out in East London and Alison
MacTier suggests some low-cost visits.
Chartered streets
I AM on a short retreat. One of my windows looks out on to a
pretty garden square, autumnally coloured, scattered with reading
chairs and arresting sculpture. It's the way retreats tend to go.
Gentle and relaxing, places of reflection and quiet prayer. But my
other window frames a busy intersection on the A13, one of the
three most polluted roads in London. Double-glazing does its job,
and this is a peaceful place; but the traffic hum is a reminder
that, although you may have stepped out of the city when you visit
the Royal Foundation of St Katharine (RFSK), you haven't actually
left it. That, believe it or not, is why it is worth coming. There
are those, of course, who will come from near by to take a breather
from metropolitan life. There are not many retreat centres close to
a DLR station, and St Katharine's can offer a surprisingly tranquil
place. But I am not here to forget the city; I'm here to experience
it in a different way. Is God more easily contacted among
mountains, or in green and pleasant lands? As an east London
resident, I would hope not.
ST KATHARINE's has been a centre for worship, hospitality, and
service since it was founded by Queen Matilda in 1147. The
religious community living around the chapel provided support for
the old and sick, and continued to do so until 1825, when dock
building forced a relocation to Regent's Park. But this was
temporary. After the Second World War, it was agreed that the East
End needed St Katherine's back, and it moved to the site of St
James's, Ratcliff, after the original church's destruction in the
Blitz.
The foundation is now housed in the Georgian vicarage, which
still stands. The complex has grown over time, but has preserved
the sense of an oasis in the city. The reordered chapel gracefully
connects with the Georgian house and a modern retreat and
conference centre. You can elect to use the centre as a hotel, and
people do - rooms can be booked with online travel-agents - but the
foundation wants to connect locally, as it always has done, and to
that end has built a new "well-being and enterprise space".
The most intriguing of these is a workhub residency project,
where people who work for local charities are offered one day a
week to escape from the office to focus both on their work and
their well-being, while meeting others in the same boat. The aim is
to support East End organisations that work with the community, and
help them increase their effectiveness, connectivity, and employee
well-being.
For the Master of St Katharine's, the Revd Mark Aitken, this is
a key part of the foundation's work. "It emerges from our expanding
work as a centre for retreat and reflection, and our ethos, rooted
in the Christian faith, that acknowledges the value and uniqueness
of every human being, the importance of work for peace and justice,
and our ongoing efforts to create an atmosphere which promotes a
holistic well-being and allows groups and individuals to think
deeply and wisely about life."
Crucially, this isn't just about a respite for stressed workers,
but a way to help them build the local community, together. In
partnership with Bow Arts, RFSK is also providing affordable space
to artists while also generating income to support arts-led
educational projects on site. Ten artists are now counted as being
in residence, and more are welcome.
MR AITKEN's enthusiasm for the local area is reflected in the
pace of change at the centre. But he also has an eye on what the
centre can offer people from outside town. Rather than imagining a
retreat as a place to move away from the world, what about
somewhere that allowed you to take in what the city had to say
about that world through its museums, galleries, and shows, and
experience them in the context of holy reflection?
We sit together at a pub near by, overlooking the river. "Is
this, too, not a place that can inspire thought?" he asks. "Provide
inspiration and renewal? Aren't these the things that people hope
to experience on retreat?"
It should be said, of course, that the rooms at RFSK are
well-appointed, that the food there is of a good standard (there is
an excellent supper club), and that its chapel is charming. This
would all be true; but to focus on it would be to miss the
possibilities of the location.
For now, the foundation offers both open and led reflective
days, neither of which require a stay. Services - warm and
intelligent - are held daily. But the real value in St Katharine's
is precisely that it is in the city; a city full of God-imaged
humanity asking questions of itself, and, at its best, in pursuit
of the best expression of itself.
You can have hills, if you want them - and we all do, at times.
But, for a retreat that is also a re-entry, a place of connection
with others as well as a temporary separation, head to the
Docklands in London this year for a period of reflection.
Open reflective days at RFSK cost £15. Led ones cost £30.
Both include coffee and lunch. Visit rfsk.org.uk/retreat to book
and enquire about a longer stay.
Escape on a budget
A SIGNIFICANT part of the retreat experience is the "getting
away from it all" factor. In a different space you are free from
the clutter of life, and more able to discover the restorative
presence of a place that is rooted in prayer and hospitality,
giving you the opportunity to explore something deep and unique
within.
Retreat centres usually offer great value for money: they are
often in glorious locations, offer delicious home cooking, and have
facilities such as libraries, art rooms, and labyrinths.
If you are looking for a retreat in 2016, but are limited by
funds, it is worth approaching retreat centres to see whether they
offer a reduction for those who are unwaged, or on a low income.
Many will offer reduced rates to those who would not otherwise be
able to afford time away.
There are also retreat centres that consistently offer lower, or
"donation"- style rates. These may not include en suite facilities,
or may offer the option for self-catering rather than full board.
Some centres have a bursary fund to subsidise those who cannot
afford the regular rates, and this may be awarded on a case-by-case
basis.
Common to all centres is a strong belief in the value of making
retreat open to everyone - whatever their background or income
level - and this will be evident in the care and hospitality that
is so integral to retreat centres, where the needs of the guest are
put first.
THE following places offer bed and breakfast for £40 a
night or under:
Abbotswick, in Brentwood, Essex, is a Roman Catholic
diocesan house of prayer. It is set in 16 acres of grounds in a
semi-rural location, and provides hospitality to people of all
denominations who are seeking day or residential
retreats.
B&B £35 per night; abbotswick.org
Tabor Carmelite Retreat House, in Preston, Lancashire, is
a small Carmelite community that offers counselling and
healing.
B&B £30 per night; carmelite.net
Whitchester Christian Guest House, in Hawick, near the
Scottish borders, is a comfortable Victorian country house where
peace and quiet can be found on individual or group retreats, quiet
days, and holidays.
B&B £40 per night; whitchester.org.uk
For those with less than £30 a night to spend, the Bamford
Quaker Community, in Derbyshire, has ten acres of reclaimed
woodland and organic gardens. The focus is on the spirit-led life
and ecological sustainability. It offers B&B from between
£15-£30 per person per night: you pay what you discern to be the
right amount.
quakercommunity.org.uk
A NUMBER of retreat centres operate on a
suggested-donation basis:
All Hallows' House, Norwich, offers space for a time of
study, quiet, or private retreat, and also for those visiting the
nearby shrine of Julian of Norwich. It has a suggested donation of
£40-£45 per 24-hour full-board. Self-catering accommodation is also
available for £20 per night.
all-hallows.org/retreats.php
Buckfast Abbey, in Buckfastleigh, Devon, is a Benedictine
monastery with guest quarters. The community opens its doors to
individuals who are seeking a retreat; the cost is based on
whatever each person can afford.
buckfast.org.uk
Edenham Regional House, in Bourne, Lincolnshire, offers
hospitality in the context of an Anglican vicarage and family home
with retreat accommodation that is separate, quiet, and private. A
suggested donation of £22 is invited for B&B, or £32 including
lunch. edenhamregionalhouse.org Hawkshead Hill Baptist Church, in
Ambleside, Cumbria, has one double guest-room, accessed via a
staircase, with kitchen, shower room, and lavatory. Guests are free
to make use of the chapel and grounds. A minimum donation of £15
per person per night is requested for this self-catering
accommodation.
hawksheadhillbaptistchurch.org.uk
Katherine House, in Salford, is a small Christian
conference centre owned and run by an international congregation of
RC Sisters, who welcome people of all faiths and none. There is a
suggested donation of £25 for B&B, and £30 for full board.
Those on a reduced income are invited to contact the bursar for a
further 20-per-cent reduction on rates.
katherinehousefcj.org
SOME retreat centres can dip into bursary funds on
request. It is always worth asking a retreat house if it can offer
this.
Hilfield Friary, near Dorchester, Dorset, is a Franciscan
community where life revolves around a daily pattern of worship and
prayer in which visitors are invited to share. The community
recommends a donation of £40 for a 24-hour stay with full
board.
hilfieldfriary.org.uk
St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre, in St Asaph, North
Wales, offers a wide range of Ignatian and individually guided
retreats. A bursary fund, which usually represents 20 per cent of
the retreat cost, is available on individual
application.
www.beunos.com
Shepherd's Dene, in Riding Mill, Northumberland, is a
comfortable Edwardian country house with a labyrinth, library, and
places for quiet meditation. Anglican in its spirituality, it is
welcoming to all, and has a discretionary bursary fund.
shepherdsdene.co.uk
The Society of Mary and Martha, near Sheldon, in Devon,
offers a range of accommodation in converted farm buildings, set in
45 acres on the edge of Dartmoor. It has a particular focus on
those in ministry, with a 20-per-cent reduction on the cost of
their stay. sheldon.uk.com The Vine, at Mays Farm, in Hullavington,
Wiltshire, offers a bursary fund (normally 25 per cent) for clergy
and others in full-time Christian ministry. Their hope is that no
one will be prevented from staying at the Vine because of
cost.
thevine-at-maysfarm.com
Alison MacTier is the executive director of the
Retreat Association. For more information on any of these centres,
contact the Retreat Association: phone 01494 569056; email info@
retreats.org.uk; or visit www.retreats. org.uk.