The Kinds of Retreat
"Retreat" is a single word covering many quite different experiences. Understanding the main types makes it far easier to choose one — or simply to understand what a friend means when they say they are going on retreat. This is a general guide to the tradition, not a schedule; no dates, fees, or bookings appear here.
The directed retreat
In a directed retreat, a person spends their time largely in silence and meets each day with an experienced guide — a spiritual director — who listens and suggests where prayer or reflection might turn next. The rhythm is personal rather than group-led. Directed retreats are often built on the Spiritual Exercises associated with Ignatian spirituality, though the format long ago spread well beyond any single school.
The silent retreat
A silent retreat sets aside conversation for a set period — a day, a weekend, or the full sweep of Holy Week — so that participants can attend to prayer, reading, and rest without the pull of small talk. Silence unsettles newcomers for an hour or two and then, almost always, becomes the most valued part of the experience. Our separate page on the practice of silence looks at this in depth.
The preached or themed retreat
A preached retreat is built around talks given by a leader, interspersed with time for personal reflection. Themed weekends narrow the focus: a retreat on aging and grace, on marriage and partnership, on care for the natural world, or on scripture. These gatherings suit people who want a structure and a subject to think alongside, and they are among the most common offerings at retreat houses everywhere.
Retreats for particular seasons and groups
- Seasonal retreats follow the liturgical calendar — an Advent twilight evening of quiet before Christmas, or an extended Holy Week retreat leading to Easter.
- Women's and men's retreats create space to reflect on life stage, vocation, and identity among peers.
- Couples' retreats offer partners a weekend to step back together from routine.
- Retreats on creation and ecology connect inner reflection to care for the wider world — a theme that has grown steadily in recent decades.
How long, and how much structure?
Retreats range from a single "twilight" evening to eight days or more. As a rule of thumb, the longer and more silent the retreat, the more personal guidance helps; the shorter and more themed, the more a group and a leader carry the experience. Neither is better — they answer different needs at different times.
If you are weighing a retreat of your own, our notes on planning a personal retreat walk through the practical questions, and the reading list suggests books that make good companions for time apart.
Descriptions here are general and educational. This site does not run retreats or accept registrations.