Our first retreat in Scotland was a success. On Saturday, March 1st, we welcomed two dozen people who devoted their day to prayer, rest, and silence. It was a blessing to meet in Saint Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in the Haymarket neighborhood of Edinburgh, Scotland. Sheila, one of the attendees, described the day this way.

“Setting aside a day like this helps us to step back from our busy lives to give God our full attention. He does not disappoint in meeting with us and helping us to rest in His peace.”

This was one of our Local Day Retreats. They are designed to take place in the heart of cities. Our prayerful hope is that people will profoundly experience God in the very city they live in. This helps us feel the reality that God is with us everywhere. These retreats have a flexible structure that allow each person to pursue the paths God is inviting them upon. This embodies the monastic reality that each person pursues their walk with Jesus on their own, within a supportive community. During the retreat, people are supported in four ways. Our three times together praying the divine office give rhythm and recentering to the retreat. We partake the Eucharist together after the midday Office before lunch. One of the monastics is available to encourage and guide them back into prayer and silence. Lastly, we produce a book exclusively for each retreat, full of liturgy, prayer guides, and a portion of our Way of Life.

Making extended times of silence for prayer is important. It helps remind us that we can make silence in our day-to-day life. In these hours, we enter into the monastic experience where we are alone, yet together. Each person devoted themselves to prayer for the day, and the love of God met each person in unique and personal ways. During the welcome, each person is encouraged to read our guide to the monastic foundational discipline of silence.

We began our day in Walpole Hall. This wonderful space welcomed us, and would also be the location for our silent lunch. As we welcomed people, they grabbed tea, coffee, and a snack before we explained the day to them. As we took the short walk to the Cathedral we stopped into the Song School (with beautiful murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair painted between 1888–92). This stop allowed the participants to see each space set aside for them to pray in.

The smell of incense rose near the high altar in the Cathedral as we began to pray the Divine Office. This special day would be but one day in the life of the Cathedral that has been here since 1879. We sang the Divine Office of Lauds together, with our voices filling the whole church. For so many of those with us, it was their first time singing the Divine Office. Each person then went off into silence until we met again for midday prayer. While our voices continued to resonate through the Cathedral, the Reverend Marion Chatterly approached the high altar to celebrate the Eucharist with us. One of the attendees, who is a pastor in Glasgow, told me it was one of the most meaningful Eucharist services he had received.

After the Eucharist, we headed back to Walpole Hall for lunch. It was a two-course meal. The main course was a hearty vegetable, mushroom, and lentil stew that was served with potato dumplings. For dessert, we enjoyed an apple crumble pudding. Both courses were made from scratch by the hands of Jordan Prins and Paul Prins who hosted the retreat. “The food was great” and “The food was absolutely delicious.” As people finished eating, they went off into the afternoon for an extended period of silence. We met again before the high altar to pray the Divine Office of Vespers before the retreat ended.

Here are a few other comments shared with us by those who attended.

“Spending time with God is always a wonder full investment!”

“My experience was a series of expressions which built upon themselves. My morning began with hymns and worship songs which segued seamlessly into breath prayer and then centering prayer. This process produced a more receptive heart and mind for entering in to a profound conversation with God.”

“[The retreat book is] an invaluable resource for communities of faith and practice.”

“Just try [a retreat], the sense of peace and tranquility is overwhelming. That isn’t coming from the Urban Monastics but from God. God asks the Urban Monastics to live and serve in a specific way so that they can come and share His truth with us. God’s Truth is beautiful. Especially when laid out in its simplicity.”

Saint Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral generously opened their doors to us giving ample space for people to rest, move, and pray. During these individual prayer times, people told us that they spent time in: Breath Prayer, Centering Prayer, Contemplative Prayer, Divine Office, Illuminating Scripture, Journaling, Labyrinth, Listening Prayer, Petitionary Prayer, Rosary, Visio Divina and more.

The feedback from attendees was incredibly positive, and we are looking forward to the next local day retreat we get to host. Hope that you can join us soon!

Thank you to Reverend Canon Doctor Marion Chatterley, Andrew Strutzenberg, Thomas Leonard, Reverend Janet Spence, Brian Pickering, Mustard Seed Edinburgh and St Mary’s Cathedral for their support, hospitality, and welcome for our retreat. Your generosity was a blessing to us, and one that we passed on to all those who joined us that day. Thank you for opening and sharing your church with us. Looking forward to being with you all in Edinburgh again soon!

Photos from the Day

Note: We will not publish photos where attendees are identifiable from our local day retreats.

Photos Credits: Paul Prins, Jordan Prins, Thomas Leonard.