Retreat houses transforming to meet new needs

Directors of retreat houses in the Albany Diocese are taking steps to avoid the fate of Abba House of Prayer in Albany, which closed last week (see separate article that begins on page 1).

"We feel saddened that [a retreat house] with proximity to people right in Albany had to close. There's such a desire for spirituality by the public in general, but that does not seem to be reflected in participation at retreat houses," stated Sister Francis Gilchrist, CSJ, co-director of The Priory retreat house in Chestertown.

The Priory, she said, is "at a critical point" financially. Independently run, the retreat house on 100 acres in the Diocese's "north country" has lately been looking more toward renting out space to Protestant and college groups than depending solely on Catholics for support.

Reading, not retreating

Although that has meant the actual number of people served by The Priory has grown, Sister Fran is concerned about a growing trend for Catholics to buy books on spiritual growth instead of opening up to others at retreats.

"People want to read about spirituality rather than sit with people and share," she remarked. "We are working with our board of trustees to come up with new ways to address the financial situation."

The most popular retreat topics at The Priory are those that combine spiritual growth and human development: for instance, retreats on handling anger, the need for forgiveness or "sources of inner peace" have garnered better attendance.

Attracting people

Sister Susan Zemgulis, OP, director of the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Niskayuna, said that "the trick is to find what topics people are interested in. There was a time when people would be committed to a particular retreat every year; now, they're committed to particular topics or attracted to a particular theme or retreat director."

The Dominican Retreat Center was founded in 1948 specifically to serve the spiritual needs of women, but it has branched out to sponsor retreats for each gender and combined retreats.

Sister Sue noted that women often find it most difficult to take time for retreats, even though "it's often helpful for women to be in a supportive environment" with like-minded peers.

Changes

Like The Priory, the Dominican Retreat Center is open to people of all faiths. The center still offers many retreats for women, including some focusing on alcoholism or eating disorders.

Sister Sue noted that, once they attend a retreat, most return for more. She sees the struggle to keep people coming as a larger issue than the popularity of retreat houses.

"The Church as a whole is struggling" with the loss of active parishioners, she noted.

Neither The Priory nor the Dominican Retreat Center hold many week-long retreats any more. They have found that most people won't devote such a large block of time to a retreat, although Sister Sue has found that "there are people who recognize the necessity of having time away to slow down."

She also expressed sadness at the loss of Abba House. "Each retreat facility has a gift they give, and Abba House had that intimacy that's different from what we offer here," she said. "It's a sad thing that that will not be able to continue. It was a gift in the Diocese for many years."

(Contact The Priory at www.prioryretreathouse.org or 494-3733. Contact the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center at www.dslcny.org or 393-4169.)

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