This week we had the privilege of spending some quiet days away on our opening retreat. We traveled with Sr. Mary and Fr. Martin to the Ballyvaloo retreat center run by the St. John of God sisters. The sisters welcomed us warmly and took great care of us, causing Clarisa and I to wonder yet again about the truth of Carolyn’s claims that Ireland is great for losing weight.

When we first gathered, Sr. Mary explained that in her experience with international travel, she often finds that her body arrives on the plane but that the rest of her takes some time to catch up. She offered us this retreat as a chance for our spirits to fully arrive in this place, a chance for “what is sacred about our being” to become fully present to our community and our work this year. She promised that the next three days would be “a gentle time” of reflection and conversation and prayer.

We spent much of our time in conversation. We shared our stories with each other, talking about the passions, inspirations, and backgrounds we brought to this year. We talked about our ideas of parish and how we hoped to minister to one. We discussed what we hoped our community would be and how we could achieve that vision. I was struck by Sr. Mary’s choice of simple questions, questions without any frills. I think that when we’ve done many retreats we often start to feel a need to ask these questions in a different way, but she asked us directly: “What are you feeling right now?” “What are your hopes for this year?” It reminded me that we don’t always need to ask these questions in a different way, because they’re questions that we need to be continually asked.

Our group prayers centered around a sacred space containing an image of St. Brigid and each of the elements associated with her: earth, air, fire, and water. Our first day, Fr. Martin offered reflections on earth and water (two elements that were very fresh in my memory since I’d planted a hydrangea bush in our yard earlier that day). The second day, he added thoughts about fire and air, which turned out to be appropriate since we’d be participating in an outdoor candlelit procession later that evening.

One of the most wonderful things about the retreat center is its setting in natural beauty: it is right on a beach, and the four of us found time to walk both together and individually. The first night was perfectly clear, and we ventured out into the pitch dark after our session had completed to look at the stars, untainted here by light pollution.

Wednesday was the birthday of Our Lady, which marks the end of the pilgrimage season at Our Lady’s Island in County Wexford. We had the opportunity as part of the retreat to take part in the Mass and Rosary that celebrated this season. We guessed that 1500 to 2000 people were present, and we joined them in a candlelight procession around the Island, praying all 15 decades of the Rosary. This was a wonderful chance to really join with the Irish people in one of their traditions, reminding us that this year is to be one of mutual education.

All in all, our opening retreat served to be what was promised: “a gentle time,” one where we could quiet our hearts and focus our energies, one where we could clear our vision and join as community to begin to make that vision real.