Watching, Waiting, Hoping: 
Advent in a Changed World

​Advent Retreat
Holy Cross Abbey, Berryville, Virginia
December 9-11, 2022

It has been three years since our last in-person Advent retreat, and even as we return to ‘normal’, for many of us, life has changed substantially over the course of the pandemic. Whether we like it or not, we’ve learned a lot about waiting and living in uncertain times—skills that are very applicable to the liturgical season of Advent! Join us on this Advent retreat, as we reflect on life in the in-between—between an old ‘normal’ and a new ‘normal’, between Christ’s first coming and second coming, between this world and the next. Using the wisdom of Julian of Norwich, we will explore what it means to live in hope in an ever-changing world.
 
This retreat will include a mixture of silence and time for quiet conversation. There will be ample time for worship, prayer, and exploring the outdoors as weather permits. Our retreat leader, the Rev. Amanda Bourne, will be available for one-on-one conversations, the rite of reconciliation, and will also lead the group in several teaching sessions on the theme throughout our weekend together.
 
The Rev. Amanda Bourne is a multi-vocational priest in the Diocese of Virginia. During the week, you can find her working in a library, as a freelance research assistant, or as a communications consultant. As a priest, she regularly supplies at parishes in Northern Virginia, and is a Priest Associate at Grace Church, Alexandria. She loves medieval mystics, church history, and seeing Jesus at work in peoples’ lives. In her free time, she enjoys reading murder mysteries, swimming, baking, and playing with her very spoiled cat named Sherlock.
 
Our retreat will begin Friday afternoon, December 9, shortly before the evening meal and will end after the noon meal on Sunday, December 11.  The retreat will be at Holy Cross Abbey, Berryville, Virginia, which is an hour and fifteen-minute drive from our church. For more information on the monastery, see their website https://www.virginiatrappists.org/about/.

DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM

Registration is limited to 15 persons; please reserve your space using the form at the button above.  If you have questions about retreat logistics, please contact Mary Ann Rehnke.  Participants needing a ride to the Abbey or those wishing to volunteer to provide a ride may contact the retreat carpooling coordinator, Katherine Maas.​

The $350.00 registration fee includes all materials, comfortable accommodations, individual rooms each with a bathroom, and all meals. Following Holy Cross Abbey policy, we may not be able to accommodate retreat reservations received after November 9.
 
Two scholarships given in memory of Charles Willis are available; please contact the rector for scholarship assistance.  Other financial assistance may also be available.  If you receive a scholarship, please complete a registration form and indicate that you have a scholarship.
 
COVID Precautions: Holy Cross Abbey asks that all retreatants be vaccinated, and if they attend services in the monks’ chapel, they must wear masks as many of the monks are elderly.  In the retreat house, masks are recommended.  If retreatants need to be very careful, they could wear their masks to meals, use a tray provided by the Abbey, and take their food to their room, so they would not need to remove their masks in the presence of other guests.
 

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