Making a Personal Retreat at Mother of the Redeemer

A personal retreat at Mother of the Redeemer Monastery is an opportunity to step away from noise and return to a simpler rhythm of prayer, silence and attentive work. The Olivetan Benedictine community in Plaisance, Louisiana, welcomes visitors who wish to seek God through liturgy, quiet reflection and a closer encounter with monastic life.

For Australians, reaching the monastery may require careful planning. A visit from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth involves a long international journey, a change of time zone and the practical demands of travelling in the United States. Those considerations matter, but they can also become part of the retreat: preparing patiently, travelling lightly and arriving with fewer expectations.

The monastery is within the Diocese of Lafayette, in a region shaped by Louisiana’s warmth, hospitality and distinctive Catholic culture. Visitors should ask in advance about retreat availability, accommodation, liturgical schedules, meals, silence and any guidance for guests. A personal retreat is most fruitful when its practical arrangements are clear before the journey begins.

You do not need to create an impressive spiritual programme. A retreat can be faithful and fruitful through a modest pattern of Mass, prayer, Scripture, rest and honest self-examination. The aim is to make room for God rather than fill every hour with religious activity.

Prepare Your Journey With Care

Begin by deciding what you hope to place before God. You may be seeking renewal after a demanding season, guidance about a vocation, healing from grief or simply a few quiet days away from constant demands. Write your intention in a sentence and bring it with you, while remaining open to the possibility that prayer may lead in an unexpected direction.

Contact the monastery well before booking flights. Confirm whether guests can be received on your preferred dates, what type of retreat is possible and whether you will have access to a private room, chapel or other spaces for prayer. Ask what you should bring and whether visitors participate in the community’s liturgical schedule.

An Australian traveller should check current United States entry requirements through official government sources. Depending on your circumstances, this may involve an eligible passport, an ESTA or another visa, and accurate travel information. Travel insurance is particularly important because Australian Medicare does not generally cover medical treatment in the United States. Allow time to recover from jet lag before expecting deep concentration.

Airfares and accommodation often rise during Australian school holidays, and travelling from Perth or Adelaide may require extra connections. A simple plan with generous margins is usually better than a tightly packed itinerary. Carry a Bible, prayer book, notebook, comfortable clothing and any prescribed medication, but avoid turning the retreat into a heavily equipped project.

Enter The Monastic Rhythm

Once you arrive, let the monastery’s rhythm guide you. Benedictine life gives priority to prayer, with the hours shaped by the liturgy, Scripture and the ordinary responsibilities of the community. Your schedule may include Mass, periods of silence, spiritual reading, rest and time outdoors, according to the arrangements made with the monastery.

Participating in the liturgy can become the centre of the retreat. Listen carefully to the readings, follow the psalms and allow familiar prayers to become fresh again. If your visit coincides with a Marian celebration, learning about the Rosary feast guide beforehand may help you enter the observance with greater understanding.

Do not worry if your attention wanders. Long-distance travel, humidity, unfamiliar surroundings and a changed sleep pattern can affect prayer. When distraction appears, return gently to a short phrase from Scripture, the name of Jesus or the next line of the psalm. A retreat is not measured by uninterrupted concentration.

Respect the community’s customs around silence, meals, clothing, photography and use of devices. Put your phone on flight mode and set one brief period each day for necessary messages. Australians often fill quiet moments with podcasts, news or casual scrolling; leaving those habits aside can reveal how much inner noise has accumulated.

Make Space For Prayer And Reflection

A simple daily pattern can help you remain present. You might begin with a slow morning prayer, attend the available liturgy, read a Gospel passage, take a quiet walk, rest after lunch and spend time reviewing the day before sleep. Keep the pattern flexible enough to receive the monastery’s actual schedule.

Lectio divina is a natural practice for a Benedictine retreat. Read a short passage slowly, notice a word or phrase that draws your attention, and remain with it in prayer. You do not need to analyse every detail. Allow Scripture to speak to your circumstances, then sit quietly without forcing an answer.

Use a notebook for brief entries rather than a continuous diary. Record what gives life, what causes resistance, what you are grateful for and what you may need to place in God’s hands. Writing can clarify a decision, but it can also become another way of avoiding silence, so let prayer remain more important than producing pages.

If a priest or spiritual guide is available, ask whether you may speak with him about your retreat. Prepare a few honest points instead of trying to describe everything. Confession, spiritual direction or an unhurried conversation can help you recognise the difference between a genuine invitation from God and a passing emotion caused by fatigue.

Learn From The Community’s Witness

A retreat is strengthened by seeing how prayer becomes a way of life. Observe the monks’ reverence, their ordinary duties and the balance between silence and fraternal responsibility. You may notice that monastic vocation is expressed through repeated, hidden acts rather than dramatic experiences.

Learning about the monks’ journeys can also help you reflect on your own calling. The monastery’s monks' vocation stories offer examples of conversion and discernment that may prompt deeper questions about service, family life, consecrated life or the next step in your faith.

Do not compare your prayer with the monks’ prayer or expect a retreat to settle every major decision. Discernment often needs time after the visit. When you return to Australia, look for confirmation through steady peace, wise counsel, faithful responsibilities and the practical circumstances of your life.

The retreat may also renew your relationship with your local parish. If you live in Melbourne, Canberra or regional New South Wales, your return may involve ordinary commitments that seem less dramatic than a monastery visit. Bring the monastery’s attentiveness into those settings: arrive early for Mass, keep a short period of daily silence and serve without needing recognition.

Return Home With A Faithful Practice

Before leaving, review what you have received and choose one or two practices to continue. These might include morning Scripture, weekly Eucharistic adoration, a regular examination of conscience or one technology-free period each Sunday. A small practice kept consistently will usually serve you better than an ambitious timetable that lasts only a week.

Make a note of people who supported your retreat, including those who prayed for you or helped with travel costs. If the visit has deepened your appreciation of the monastery’s work, you may wish to support its prayerful community and planned chapel expansion. Information about practical ways to help is available through ways to give.

Australian donors should check the tax position before assuming that a gift to a United States religious organisation is deductible under Australian law. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and the Australian Taxation Office provide relevant guidance, but an overseas donation may not receive the same treatment as a gift to an eligible Australian deductible gift recipient. Keep records and seek professional advice where necessary.

After returning, protect the quiet you found. The first days back may bring work, family obligations, airport fatigue and the familiar pressure to respond immediately to every message. Share the retreat thoughtfully, without feeling obliged to explain every private grace. Let your decisions, patience and prayer show what the time at the monastery has begun to change.

A personal retreat at Mother of the Redeemer can begin with a journey across the Pacific and continue in the ordinary places where faith is lived: a parish in Sydney, a kitchen in Hobart, a tram ride in Melbourne or a quiet morning in a regional town. Contact the monastery to discuss suitable dates, prepare your heart and practical arrangements carefully, and come ready to receive the gift of prayerful stillness.