Benedictine Living: Practicing Prayer, Work, and Community

Have you ever wanted to see what it's like to live in a  monastic community?

Are you curious about how the Rule of St. Benedict, an ancient rule for monastic life, could be lived out in your own daily rhythm?

This retreat draws together two streams at the heart of the Forest of Peace: our Benedictine heritage and the deep longing for community, shared rhythm, and contemplative living expressed by so many who come here today.

The retreat begins with a weekend experience and continues into an optional week-long immersion for those who wish to stay on and explore more deeply the wisdom and practice of the Rule of St. Benedict. Participants will share in a simple daily rhythm of prayer, silence, meals, work, study, and rest shaped by Benedictine values and adapted for contemporary life.

This is not an exercise in reenactment or living history, but an invitation into a living tradition: a modern expression of the contemplative and communal life practiced in Benedictine communities around the world.

Because Benedictine spirituality is rooted in shared life, participants will be invited to commit themselves fully to the common rhythm of the retreat. The Rule of St. Benedict teaches humility, stability, and mutual obedience — learning to listen deeply to God and to one another. Through participating together in the daily practices of prayer, work, silence, and community, the retreat becomes not merely something attended, but a way of life temporarily shared. 

To prepare for our time together, you'll be sent some readings ahead of time, which we'll discuss while we're together.

Weekend schedule:

Friday
Arrive anytime after 10 a.m.
Noon Meditation
Lunch at 12:30
1:30 Rest hour
2:30 Sext, followed by manual labor
3:45 None
4:30 Evening Meditation
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Vespers
7:00 Session 1: Living the Benedictine Way
8:30 Compline, return to cabins for Great Silence

Saturday
(Great Silence is kept until 9 a.m.)
7:00 a.m. Lauds/morning meditation
8:00 a.m. Breakfast in silence
9:00 a.m. Great Silence Ends, Session 2: Living a Life of Lectio
10:30 a.m. Terce
11:00 a.m. Reading
Noon Meditation
12:30 p.m. Lunch (Reading from the Rule, then conversation)
1:30 p.m. Rest Hour
2:30 p.m. Sext, followed by manual labor
3:45 None
4:30 Evening Meditation
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Vespers
7:00 Session 3: Living the tension between “Ora et Labora”
8:30 Compline, return to cabins for Great Silence

Sunday
(Great Silence is kept until 9 a.m.)
7:00 a.m. Lauds/morning meditation
8:00 a.m. Breakfast in silence
9:00 a.m. Great Silence Ends, Session 4: Living Stability in a World of Instability
10:30 a.m. Terce and goodbye to the weekenders
11:00 a.m. Free Time
12:30 p.m. Lunch (Reading from the Rule, then conversation)
1:30 p.m. Rest Hour
2:30 p.m. Sext
3:45 None
4:30 Evening Meditation
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Vespers
7:30 Social Time
8:30 Compline, return to cabins for Great Silence

Monday-Thursday
(Great Silence is kept until 9 a.m.)
7:00 a.m.Lauds/morning meditation
8:00 a.m. Breakfast in silence
9:00 a.m. Great Silence Ends, Learning Session
Monday: The Tools for Good Works
Tuesday: Humility
Wednesday: Obedience
Thursday: Just a Beginning
10:30 a.m. Terce
11:00 a.m. Reading
Noon Meditation
12:30 p.m. Lunch (Reading from the Rule, then conversation)
1:30 p.m. Rest Hour
2:30 p.m. Sext, followed by manual labor
3:45 None
4:30 Evening Meditation
5:30 Dinner
6:30 Vespers
7:30 Social Time
8:30 Compline, return to cabins for Great Silence

Friday
(Great Silence is kept until 9 a.m.)
7:00 a.m. Vigils/morning meditation
8:00 a.m. Breakfast in silence
9:00 a.m. Great Silence Ends, Learning Session: Next Steps
10:30 a.m. Terce and goodbyes