retreats

Omnes supervenientes hospites
tamquam Christus suscipiantur

ALL GUESTS WHO PRESENT THEMSELVES
ARE TO BE RECEIVED AS CHRIST.

The Rule of St. Benedict, ch. 53:1.

“So I am going to allure her, lead her once more into the desert,
where I can speak to her tenderly.” (Hosea 2:16).

ABOUT US

NESTLED in the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, St. Andrew’s Abbey lies on the edge of the Mojave Desert at an altitude of 3600 feet. Here the seasons are experienced in dramatic fashion. Summers are hot and dry with temperatures reaching into the 100s; winter days are generally sunny, while nighttime temperatures often dip well below freezing. Spring offers glorious blooming trees and flowers; autumn, spectacular color changes. Visitors will find a special beauty in the desert in each and every season.

St. Andrew’s Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine Monastery. Named for its motherhouse in Brugge, Belgium, it was established in 1955 by several missionary monks who had been expelled from China. The founding members bought the Hidden Springs Ranch in Valyermo, California and transformed it into a spiritual oasis that has served Southern California and beyond for over fifty years. Today St. Andrew’s is home to 23 monks.

With a special emphasis on hospitality, the monastic community welcomes people of all faiths to enjoy the peace, silence, and rhythm of the life of the monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict. You are invited to join the monks for the singing of the Divine Office and daily celebration of the Eucharist. Spiritual counseling and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are available upon request. You are also welcome to visit the Ceramics and Gift Shops, or to simply walk or sit and enjoy the beautiful grounds.

The Retreat Center provides accommodations for overnight visitors participating in either directed or private retreats. The facilities include 17 rooms, each with twin beds and a private bath. Linens, towels, and soap are provided. The rooms are air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter.

Meals are served home style and shared with the monastic community. Breakfast and dinner are usually taken in silence. Lunch is a time to enjoy conversation with the other guests.

The monks sponsor and conduct several retreats throughout the year. Additionally, we host numerous church groups for retreats and workshops. In this brochure you will find listed only those that the Abbey actually sponsors. Private retreats are generally available weekdays and on weekends as space permits.

We anticipate the opening of the Welcome Center in early 2008. This facility will provide conference space for day groups. We will begin taking reservations as the completion date approaches.

The Youth Center has served as a place of retreat, prayer, and inspiration in the high desert since 1966. Here young people may experience the difference peace and quiet can make in their lives. There are acres of trails for hiking and exploring and outdoor space for moderate athletic experiences. Dorm-style sleeping quarters are available for students. There are also separate accommodations for adult leaders.

ABBEY-SPONSORED RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS

Abbey-Sponsored retreats and workshops are conducted throughout the year. Most are held on weekends; some on weekdays. The suggested donation for the weekend is $230 for single occupancy and $150 for shared occupancy. Weekday rates are listed under the Retreat description. Rooms are generally ready for check-in at 3:00 p.m. We ask that they be vacated by 10 a.m. on the day of departure (except Sundays). Departing guests are welcome to stay for Mass at noon and lunch

THE BENEDICTINE PHILOSOPHY AND ETHIC OF WORK: Looking into the Past to Move into the Future

This workshop will consist of presentations, dialogs, and conversations. The workshop should be ideal for leaders and managers, and all who take their work seriously. Focus will be on the application of tested principles to contemporary work situations. Interchange between participants will focus on possible application of these principles.

This workshop will investigate what is made “real” in prayer and poetry. In light of what he perceived as the failure of religious vision and fact, Matthew Arnold wrote in one of his Essays on Criticism (1888), that “more and more mankind will discover that we have to turn to poetry to interpret life for us, to console us, to sustain us.” Is there something inherent in the poetic experience that allows Arnold to reflect on poetry in this way? Are there, in fact, similarities between the writing and reading of poetry and the interpretive, consoling and sustaining nature of prayer? Both are a discipline and an art, and both are also intimately, and often intensely personal. They both open up to something “new” or “real. Using contemporary, and both specifically religious and non-religious poetry, we will investigate this reality.

St. Benedict counsels us to “attend with the ear of your heart.” Through the process of this weekend, we will discover a way of listening deeply to the sacred story each one of us is: who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going. Such remembering is central to the lives of a Eucharistic people who respond gratefully to all they been given through Christ. Our deep listening and remembering calls us to live gratefully and so to be truly Eucharistic people. To live the anamnesis or calling to mind of the Eucharist is to live the mindfulness of which St. Benedict speaks, to live in the presence of God. When heard deeply our stories reveal our true identity and remove th e stone that has kept us entombed, and we are set free to live the life God has intended for us.

Participants will explore the essential structure and meaning of the art of classical music. The penetration and personal nature of fine music make it most apt for prayer. Musical references in the presentations will be drawn from the rich treasure of the Chant, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical and Romantic, and Modern (up to Prokofiev) repertoire.

This retreat is open to artists at all levels, including beginners. Writers, sculptors, and photographers are also welcome to come and experience the colors and beauty of the high desert in the setting of the monastery. Escape the stress of daily life while deepening your spiritual vision in your art. (A materials list will be provided.)

This preached retreat is for oblates of St. Andrew’s Abbey or for anyone interested in Benedictine Spirituality. The focus of the Pentecost Retreat is the Rule of St. Benedict and the Liturgy of Pentecost.

MODELS AND METHODS OF EARLY CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION: Part 2:
Liturgical Prayer – A Window Into the soul

This workshop is based on a course offered through St. John’s University, Collegeville; however interested participants who are not taking the course are welcome.

The greatest human and spiritual truths are always embodied in stories and narratives. Today the burden of storytelling is carried by movies. We will view four films and have intensive discussions of how spiritual realities are shown through their plots, symbols, acting and so forth. Since many people today watch a lot of movies, this workshop seeks to raise and focus their consciousness of the medium and be better able to use it in the ongoing project of spiritual growth.

In this workshop the ancient monastic practice of lectio divina, a method of reading and meditating that enables the Scriptures to lead the soul into the presence of God, will be studied and practiced by participants. Readings from early monastic sources will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring a Bible.

BENEDICTINE SPIRITUALITY FOR THE LAITY: The Values and Spiritual Practices in the Rule of St. Benedict

This workshop is intended to introduce and deepen for the Oblates of Valyermo those values and practices we share in common, whether as Benedictines in the cloister or in the world.

Raimundo Panikkar observes that not only is there a monastic archetype in every person, but also that there is a contemporary tension between the traditional monastic goal of simplicity and the present complexity of the world. This retreat will explore that tension as presenting a creative opportunity for a new way of being a “modern monk”, aiming for harmonious complexity in and with the world. This retreat/workshop may be of interest to oblates and others of deep spiritual longing and commitment.

This retreat is a personal exploration of 12-Step Spirituality for those in recovery and those who have seen the efficacy of these spiritual principles in the lives of those who practice them. Though not a member of a 12-Step fellowship, the presenter draws from a variety of sources, including his own monastic and Christian spirituality. This year the Eleventh Step will be developed and practiced in depth: “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry it out.”

This workshop will consist of presentations, dialogs, and conversations. The workshop will focus on the comparison of the Rule of the Master and the Rule of St. Benedict. The special Benedictine themes of trust in the individual and progress in the spiritual life will be examined.

This workshop/retreat will introduce the path of mystical union with Jesus Christ laid out in the Gospel of John. We will highlight the spiritual theology of John’s Gospel and its overall structure as an instrument of initiation into communion with Jesus. Participants must be willing to explore the purgative, illuminative and unitive dimensions of communion with Jesus, through and with His Father and the Holy Spirit, as laid out in this Gospel. Only an introduction will be attempted in the modest time available.

It will be essential for the participants to bring a bible and to have some experience praying in the way of Lectio Divina. To become acquainted with the latter, please refer to the article by Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB on Lectio Divina, available online at the abbey website: www.Valyermo.com. The presenter will be reading from the New Jerusalem Bible.

This workshop is NOT conceived of as a course solely for academic teachers, but for all of us who interact with and influence others in our daily lives. This is for all who have a desire to take responsibility for transformative learning and to examine their own assumptions and perceptions in order to grow spiritually and intellectually. Purposeful questioning will be explored as part of the teaching and learning experience. We will take a close look at the art of teaching and the role of a teacher in other times and in different ways, searching beyond traditional definitions and expectations.

Using the Sunday Lectionary A, we will examine ways to use these texts for a weekly personal preparation for the Liturgy, lectio divina, and as instruction for meeting Jesus in His word. There will be a series of talks, reflections and discussions.

The Rule of St. Benedict has shaped the lives of saints and ordinary people since the sixth century. Today, as in the past, seeking God in one’s daily or ordinary life through prayer and community—the heart of Benedictine Spirituality—works and adapts for many. Preferring nothing to the love of Christ expressed in liturgy, lectio divina, and other monastic disciplines and values underlying the Rule will be reflected on within the context of the monastic community’s prayer life and contemplative desert environment.

Oblate Bowen H. “Buzz” McCoy will facilitate this retreat based upon a combination of his graduate business school teaching in leadership and his mini-courses on spiritual literature. A secular discussion of values based leadership will be followed by a session on how Christian ethics can be incorporated into such a leadership model. McCoy will share ethical dilemmas he has encountered as an investment banker, and he will encourage participants to share their ethical stories as well.

The sessions will be based on McCoy’s book, Living into Leadership: A Journey in Ethics, published by Stanford University Press, 2007. Fr. Luke Dysinger will share in the discussions.

MEET THE PRESENTERS

Rev. Laurel Alexander is an oblate of Valyermo and serves as Campus Pastor for Lutheran Campus Ministry, ELCA at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has served there for 11 years and has been an ordained Lutheran pastor for over 15 years. She has a B.A. and an M.Div. from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA.

Abbot Francis Benedict has been of monk of Valyermo since 1968. He was elected Abbot in 1992 and continues to direct the retreat program as well as to preach a variety of retreats himself. Since 1975 he has shared the riches of monastic spirituality with Oblates and others who live in the world. He has a special love for and ministry to those in 12-Step Recovery.

Fr. Joseph Brennan has been a monk of Valyermo since 1994, after having served as a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for over twenty years. He is a spiritual director at the Cardinal Manning House of Prayer for priests in Los Angeles as well as the Prior of St. Andrew’s.

Mary Rose Betten is an oblate of Valyermo. She is a playwright and character actress often seen in films, TV, and on stage. She teaches lecturing and homiletics for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, gives workshops on spirituality and the arts, and is author of People of the Passion, Mary M,. Terrible Is This Place,and Hidegard 2000.

Dr. Michael Carey is an oblate of Valyermo and Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. An educator since 1974, he has served at the elementary, secondary and university levels as a teacher and an administrator. He has taught and written about the leadership implications of the Rule of Benedict for contemporary organizational life.

Rosemary DeGracia is an oblate of Valyermo and director of Adult Christian Initiation in her parish. She has served in a detention ministry and teaches adult faith formation programs for the Diocese of Fresno, CA. She has presented workshops and retreats on Benedictine spirituality, particularly on the practice of Lectio Divina and other contemplative prayer practices.

Fr. Luke Dysinger has been a monk of Valyermo since 1981. He is a priest and a physician who writes and teaches in the fields of mystical theology and biomedical ethics. He received a D. Phil. at Oxford University and currently teaches at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, CA.

Fr. Philip Edwards has been a monk of Valyermo since 1962. He has been Guestmaster for many years and was an adjunct professor of Sacred Scripture at Mt. St. Mary’s College. He ministers regularly to the Spanish-speaking people of the Antelope Valley as well as leading an oblate group and Bible Study Group.

Fr. Gregory Elmer has been a monk of Valyermo since 1968. He served for many years on the Interreligious Council of Southern California and as a member of the North American Board for East-West Dialogue. He has directed retreats and has been presider of the Santa Barbara Bay Area Oblates for many years.

Cheryl Evanson is an oblate of Valyermo and Administrator of St. Andrew’s Retreat Center. She earned an M.A. in Education, and was an elementary school teacher, curriculum specialist, and master teacher for over 30 years. She has a special interest in the application of the Rule of St. Benedict to secular life.

Deloris Haddow is an artist and educator who has studied art and art history in Europe, Ukraine, and Iran, as well as Native American, Mexican and Peruvian textiles. She is involved with California Plein Air Association and is a former member of Faith and Forum, a liturgical art organization. She is also a spiritual director/facilitator for adults, leading retreats and centering prayer.

Mary Kauffman is an oblate of Valyermo. She has M.A. in Literature, an ESL teaching certificate, and has taught at state and community colleges in Los Angeles and Orange Counties since 1988. She and her husband, Curtis, have six children, including two sons adopted from Korea.

Dr. Bowen (Buzz) McCoy is an oblate of Valyermo. He has been an investment baker for many years, and has taught business ethics classes at USC, UCLA, Stanford and Notre Dame. He also teaches Church related courses on contemporary theologians and on spiritual literature.

Dr. Patrick Mitchell is an oblate of Valyermo, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, and a teacher in the Pecos Foundation’s Summer School for Spiritual Directors. With his wife, Mary Rose Betten, he gives workshops on Spirituality and the Arts and co-authored the book and video, Proclaiming God’s Word.

Fr. Aelred Niespolo has been a monk of Valyermo since 2001 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2005. He is currently the Juniormaster. Having completed the Master of Theology program at Oxford University, he is now very active in retreat work and pastoral ministry.

Fr. Simon O’Donnell has been a Benedictine monk since 1964. In 1996 he transferred to St. Andrew’s. A gifted teacher, preacher, and exegete, he has taught and served as headmaster at a secondary school, has given retreats and workshops on Benedictine spirituality, and directs an oblate group.

Fr. Matthew Rios has been a monk of Valyermo since 2001. He moved here from the Philippines where he was a Certified Public Accountant and University instructor in Manila and monk in simple profession. He then transferred to St. Andrew’s. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2005 and has completed an M.A. in Liturgical Studies.

Dr. Elizabeth Seward is an oblate of Valyermo. She is interested in education as ‘product and producer of civilization’. She earned a doctorate in Education and has been a teacher and adult educator in Waldorf Schools for over 20 years.

Rev. Douglas Vest is an oblate and long time friend of Valyermo. He is an Episcopal priest. He has authored several books with his wife, Norvene Vest, on Benedictine spirituality for the common life.

Dr. Norvene Vest is an oblate and long time friend of Valyermo. She is the author of over a dozen books, chiefly on Benedictine spirituality for the common life, including Preferring Christ. She was the North American speaker at the Worldwide Oblate Congress in Rome in 2005.

John West is an oblate of Valyermo and founder of the Valyermo Dancers. He is an educator, lecturer, dancer, choreographer, and liturgist. He and his wife, Consuelo Zuniga-West, have been conducting dance workshops at St. Andrew’s for many years. He is currently Headmaster at the Merman School.

Overnight Retreats: These retreats are for those interested in overnight, self-directed retreats, where you are free to pray, rest, read, and walk. All guests are invited to follow the daily monastic schedule.

Weekdays: From Monday afternoon through Friday morning, rooms are generally available. The suggested donation for weekdays is $65 per night for single occupancy and $55 per night per person for shared occupancy. This includes lodging and 3 meals. We are most grateful to those who can afford more to help us offer hospitality to those less fortunate.

Weekends and Holidays: Private retreats for weekends are available on a waiting list basis if rooms for scheduled sponsored retreats become available. The suggested donation for a weekend is $200 for single occupancy and $130 per person for shared occupancy. This includes two nights lodging and six meals, from 3 p.m. on Friday through Sunday afternoon.

Day Retreats: Day retreats are for those interested in coming for the day as a self-directed retreatant. You are free to pray, rest, read, walk, and follow the monastic schedule. You are welcome to join the monks in the dining room for lunch. The suggested donation is $7. Please call the Retreat Office 24 hours in advance to make meal reservations.

The offerings listed in this brochure indicate Abbey-sponsored retreats and workshops. We also host numerous church groups who reserve the Retreat Center for the weekend. While most weekends are already reserved, you are welcome to call for future availability or the infrequent cancellation. The suggested donation for the weekend is $200 for single occupancy and $130 per person for shared occupancy if you provide the speaker(s). Should your group need the services of our retreat team, the tuition is included in the following suggested donation: $230 for single occupancy and $150 per person for shared occupancy. This includes two nights lodging and six meals, from 3 p.m. on Friday through Sunday afternoon.

We look forward to the opening of the Welcome Center, which will allow us to offer day retreat opportunities for those groups wishing to experience a Day of Reflection.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Informal dress is acceptable provided it is restrained by a sense of propriety, especially for the chapel and the dining room. We recommend that you bring clothing appropriate for seasonal temperature extremes, especially during winter and early spring.

We welcome you to join the monks in singing the Divine Office and the celebration of the Eucharist. (Inter-communion at Mass with members of other churches is at this time only a fervent hope for the future.) Please refer to the schedule of prayer services listed elsewhere in this brochure.

You can make an appointment with a monk for spiritual counseling/direction by calling the Retreat Office. If a monk is available, you may be able to see him without an appointment

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) is available Sundays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the chapel and upon request.

We welcome visitors to spend the day relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the high desert. You are also welcome to walk around the grounds and visit the Ceramics and Gift Shops. There is no ‘charge’ for spending the day. Should you wish to eat lunch at the monastery, we ask that you inform the Retreat Office 24 hours in advance. The recommended donation for meals is $7.

We request that you eat lunch in the dining room with the monks, retreatants and other guests.

We invite you to participate in the Grand Silence which begins after Compline (night prayer) and ends at 8:30 a.m. Quiet conversation is requested at all other times.

With rare exception, children are generally not permitted to join you on retreat.

As a courtesy to those who have allergies to animal dander, we request that you do not bring cats or dogs with you.

Because our rooms were built before the technological era began, they are not equipped with phone jacks for computer use. Unfortunately, that means that those here are ordinarily without access to e-mail or the internet. Furthermore, cell phones frequently do not work here. ATT/Cingular is the one carrier that seems to work at the present time. A public phone is available for your convenience.

Our housekeeping staff will strip the beds and clean the room after your departure. To ensure that the room is ready for the next guest, we ask that you vacate the room by 10 a.m. (except Sunday). You are welcome to stay for Mass and lunch after returning your room key to the Retreat Office.

Silence is an important part of the monastic tradition. We encourage retreatants and guests to take advantage of the peaceful atmosphere the monastery provides by keeping conversations, cell phone use, and other distractions to a minimum or in a location where others will not be disturbed.

OFF THE WALL? NOT AT ALL!

A monastery is a community of monks. Monks can be priests or brothers. Priests are ordained and can administer the sacraments, while brothers cannot. One does not have to be a priest to be a monk.

The bells call the monks to prayer and meals. It is a medieval tradition that is joyfully honored, as is the practice of ‘naming’ the bell. St. Andrew’s chapel bell is named Raphaella and was donated by the village of Soleilhas, located in the French Alps.

Oblates are laypersons who, after a period of study and formation, have promised to follow the Rule of St. Benedict insofar as their lives permit.

Joshua trees are native to the Mojave Desert. The first settlers in the area thought they were palm trees and named the town of Palmdale for them. They are also native to the Holy Land.

We share the desert habitat with many animals. Seasonally, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and the very occasional mountain lion are sometimes seen. They will not attack unless threatened or provoked. Still, be cautious when walking around the grounds, especially at night.

Take the 5 Freeway north to 14 Freeway north. Get off on the Pearblossom Hwy exit. Go 5 miles to Hwy 138 and turn right. Continue 9 miles to the town of Pearblossom. Turn right at the Chevron gas station onto Longview Rd. Turn left onto Ave W and follow the long winding road for about 4 miles to St. Andrew’s Abbey.

Take the 15 Freeway north to Hwy 138 exit. Turn left on Hwy 138 towards Palmdale. Go for about 30 miles to the town of Pearblossom. Turn left at the Chevron gas station onto Longview Rd. Turn left onto Ave W and follow the long winding road for about 4 miles to St. Andrew’s Abbey.

***Call ahead to see if Hwy 138 remains closed between the 15 Freeway and Rte 2. The suggested detour is to stay on the 15 Freeway north to Cajon Pass. Then take the 395 north to Phelan Rd and turn left. Turn right onto Hwy 138. Continue to Pearblossom, etc.

Go east on Ave S to 47^th Street East. Turn right and continue on to Hwy 138. Continue on to the town of Pearblossom, which is about 10 miles from that turn. Turn right at the Chevron gas station onto Longview Rd. Turn left on Ave W and follow the long winding road for about 4 miles to St. Andrew’s Abbey.

Take the 101 Freeway south to the 23 north to the 118 east to the 405 north to the 5 north to the 14 north. Stay on the 14 Freeway for about 30 miles. Get off on the Pearblossom Hwy exit. Go 5 miles to Hwy 138 and turn right. Continue 9 miles to the town of Pearblossom. Turn right at the Chevron gas station onto Longview Rd. Turn left onto Ave W and follow the long winding road for about 4 miles to St. Andrew’s Abbey.

Take the 5 Freeway south to Hwy 138 exit. Follow Hwy 138 and get off at the Palmdale Blvd. exit. Turn left onto Palmdale Blvd, which is also Hwy 138. Continue for about 19 miles to the town of Pearblossom. Turn right at the Chevron gas station onto Longview Rd. Turn left onto Ave W and follow the long winding road for about 4 miles to St. Andrew’s Abbey.