Each year, the community shuts down our normal operations for one week to take time for our community retreat. Only the bare minimum of maintenance work is done, so there is more time for prayer, contemplation, reading, and rest. After the busy shipping season and the full liturgical celebrations of Christmas, this time for reflection and renewal is much appreciated.

We usually invite someone to give us conferences through the retreat in order to guide our thoughts thought the week, and we were very fortunate this year to have Archbishop emeritus Joseph Kurtz with us. He was the archbishop of Louisville from 2007 until 2022, and a frequent visitor to the abbey during that time. Since Pope Francis accepted his letter of resignation in 2022, he has been living in Wilmington, NC, and gives frequent retreats.

This time of retreat was a blessing to us and we thank Archbishop Kurtz for his presence and his counsel during this time.